The Fulton City Council has agreed to look into putting a barrier between the Fulton Splash Pad and Second Street.
Linda Ellis, assistant director of the Callaway County Emergency Medical Services, spoke out about the potential danger to children at Tuesday evening's City Council meeting.
"In my job, I've seen children get hit by cars," she said. "Last week, while I was coming down the hill on Business 54 (toward Second Street), I saw a toddler heading from the park toward the roadway. A young man caught the child at the sidewalk - but five more seconds and the kid would've made it to the road."
She's had close calls of her own. Ellis sometimes brings her grandson, who is 4, to the Splash Pad. He has a tendency to dash off abruptly.
"If you look away for a second, he can be gone," she said. "They're fast at that age. It takes everything we have to catch him."
The Splash Pad and the road are separated only by a few yards of sloping grass and a sidewalk. Even a small barrier could help slow a running child and give an adult time to catch up, Ellis pointed out.
Most of Fulton's other parks also lack fences, but none have a play area so close to the road, she noted. One at Veterans Park is fairly close to Wood Street, but it is separated by a parking lot.
"I know fences are kind of ugly," she said, adding it's worth it to keep children safe.
Council members shared her concerns.
"I think there might be a need for something to deter children from running out," Ward 3 council member John Braun said.
Ward 2's Jeff Stone concurred. He noted the barrier doesn't necessarily need to be high or unsightly to be effective. A simple rail or row of decorative grass might be enough to slow a child down.
"I've noticed that if there's a visual stop, many times kids won't go past it," he said.
That said, Ellis' worries aren't universal. Katie Pierce, a Fulton mother, said she takes her young children to the Splash Pad about once a week and hasn't felt concerned by its proximity to the street.
"They're too distracted by the water park (to run toward traffic)," she said Wednesday.
Council members agreed to look into barrier options in the near future.