By Mark Hansel

Wed, Dec 27, 2006 (6:57 a.m.)

Homeless issues such as shelter access, shopping carts and sleeping outside in the cold dominated the public comment portion of last week's Las Vegas City Council meeting.

Mayor Oscar Goodman continued to encourage homeless people to seek help through local shelters, while advocates and the homeless complained about the tactics employed by city officials, law enforcement and shelter personnel.

Activist Peter "Chris" Christoff presented a large plastic bag to the council, which he suggested be given to the homeless, along with a bus pass, the next time that Metro Police officers conduct a shopping cart raid.

The bag would give the homeless something to hold their belongings, Christoff said, while the bus pass would allow them to take the possessions to a safe place.

The suggestion appeared to be a criticism of local law enforcement for tactics used during a recent cart sweep. Homeless advocates say that Metro officers took not only stolen shopping carts, but also blankets, medication and other items essential to survival on the streets.

Metro denies that, saying the carts were retrieved but that people were given ample opportunity to claim their belongings.

At the meeting, when several homeless men lined up to speak, Goodman addressed them as a group, saying that city employees were on hand to assist them in finding shelter.

"We want to get you off the street and back into the community," Goodman said. (At one point, Goodman recessed the council meeting for a moment of silence for the 49 homeless people who have died in Clark County this year.)

Three of the men agreed to seek help and were sent to a shelter after the meeting.

At least one of them, however, had a short stay. He was seen on Las Vegas Boulevard near City Hall the next day.

When asked why he wasn't at the shelter, he shrugged and replied, "It just didn't work out."

He then pulled up the collar of his coat and wandered down the street.

The meeting also saw continued controversy over the closing of one city park but unanimous support, at least from the council, for another planned park closure.

Joe Sacco, an advocate who regularly feeds the homeless at city parks, challenged its decision to keep Huntridge Circle Park closed.

"There are other parks that have up to twice as much crime as Circle Park," he said.

The city contends that Huntridge Circle Park, closed last month after one homeless man killed another there, is unsafe. Advocates argue, though, that the park was closed because it was frequented by the homeless.

While the discussion at the meeting did nothing to bring the two sides together on that issue, there was no controversy surrounding Councilman Gary Reese's endorsement of a plan to close another city park in his ward.

The council voted unanimously to close Freedom Park, a 68-acre facility on North Mojave Road, for about a year at the end of next summer to complete a $42 million renovation.

Two Little League baseball fields are all that will remain open during the renovation.

Some improvements, including the construction of a $5.3 million swimming pool, have been completed.

The project includes the construction of six replica major-league ballparks on about 30 acres. Other planned improvements include indoor and outdoor soccer fields, a skate park and an outdoor events center.