City commissioners are not interested in an idea of extending Peterson Road westward through a prime area of natural parkland.

Commissioners rejected a recommendation by the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission to add a Peterson Road extension to a map that shows future road improvement projects the city should consider.

Commissioners balked at the idea because one of the three alignments for the road runs through Martin Park and an adjacent forested area donated to the city. Commissioners rejected the idea a year ago, and were miffed that planning commissioners brought the idea back up again.

“They can send this back to us a hundred times and I’m still not going to support it,” City Commissioner Sue Hack said.

But commissioners did agree with planners who said the city needed to establish another east-west route in the city or else risk Sixth Street becoming overly crowded.