Judge delays decision on Markham restraining order against Park District over prom helicopter incident
A judge Monday delayed a decision on issuing a temporary restraining order against the Markham Park District for an incident involving a helicopter landing for prom earlier this month.
The Markham Park District executive director, Quintina Brown, hired a helicopter for her daughter's prom send-off, which then landed in a public park without authorization on May 8. The incident sparked outrage on social media and in the south suburb.
Kelly Krauchun, a lawyer representing the city of Markham, said when a police officer pulled up to Roesner Park on May 8, the city had no clue a helicopter was landing.
"The actual field where the helicopter was landed, or did land, was right behind basketball courts, where there were children playing basketball, right behind the park district facility fieldhouse, and in a residential neighborhood," she said.
The city was in court Monday to ask a judge for a temporary restraining order that would limit Brown and the park district in general from signing contracts without the larger park district board's approval.
Lawyers for Markham alleged that on the receipt for the helicopter, Brown listed the park district's address as the billing address, and said they believed she didn't intend to pay for it out of pocket until the story was reported in the media.
"I understand the council's representation but the timing of that is suspect," attorneys for the city argued.
Both parties confirmed they had agreed on Friday that no helicopters would be allowed in Markham parks.
"It seems pretty self-evident that that's not a good idea to land a helicopter on park district property, but apparently it has to be said," Krauchun said.
Last week's incident was not the original reason for the city of Markham's lawsuit seeking a temporary restraining order against the park district, but instead an event that inspired renewed fervor to address what the city says is a larger issue.
In 2012, the city and park district entered into an agreement saying, "all operational, programming, and financial decisions shall be made by the city."
Krauchun said that agreement would include renting a helicopter for $800.
The judge did not grant a temporary restraining order against the park district Monday, instead saying he wanted to allow for discovery. A hearing on a possible preliminary injunction will be set for 28 days from now, though an exact date was not set at the end of the hearing.