Neighbors around Wexford Park on Madison's west side want you to use their park, it's those who abuse it they're really fed up with.

"They're causing damage, there's been lots of vandalism to the park," says Dave Tolmie, who heads up the Wexford Village Homeowners Association.

He says, underage kids head into the woods right behind Wexford Park after dark just about every night and start drinking or doing drugs at a hole they've dug into the crowd. Neighbors call it a "party pit."

Tolmie says, volunteers cleaning the trails in the woods often find full liquor bottles and even drugs hidden near the party pit.

Partiers leave the woods and vandalize the park and area homes. Residents wake up to find damaged playground equipment, vandalized sheds, broken light poles along walkways, slashed tires, and broken windows and windshields. The party pit vandals have cost homeowners and the city tens of thousands of dollars.

Tolmie says, "We're not very happy. A park is supposed to be a place to enjoy, and I welcome those who want to enjoy it. But it does close at ten, and if you want to have a party, take it somewhere else. This is city property and we like our neighborhood, and we just want to keep it a nice place to live for everyone."

He thinks it would help police catch more culprits if the city put up lights near the woods as it has done in some other parks.

Tolmie encourages neighbors to call Madison Police when they see or hear suspicious activity in the park or woods.

Police did arrest five juveniles last week for being in the park after 10 p.m., when it closes.

.