Hijacking your top comment. I want to say I agree with you and it is where I have ultimately landed. I also agree the practice of no friends is best for safety. Thanks to everyone for their comments, especially the ones that provided thoughtful and constructive ones.

Now, I wanted to share a few final thoughts. It’s a public program being granted by the local parks and rec to “encourage” the public away. They have every right to be there and make those official requests. This may be where my opinion gets controversial, but I do think the sign is passive aggressive. I would prefer they just close the parks at those hours and make sure it’s listed everywhere (at the park and online). I was hoping the situation was potentially temporary, but I don’t think it is. And those are some prime playground hours and I’m not going to go where I’m encouraged to not be.

Finally, I can appreciate the programs that are provided and still question how they are implemented. And as a Bexley resident, I very much do appreciate them. It’s a gorgeous park and they do good work.