Photograph by Robert Scheer
Jenny Crotty and her daughter, Emily, enjoy the swings at Congress Springs Park.
By Julie Mehta
Saratogans will get the rare opportunity to tell the city how it should spend its money at a community workshop on park improvements on June 8. The city currently has $1.2 million in its Park Development Fund to spend on new sports fields, community center improvements, trails, or any other project in its 54-acre, 11-site park system.
After numerous residents addressed the topic of park improvements at a Town Hall meeting last fall, the city ordered that a task force be created to solicit community opinions and report them to the council. That task force, made up of Vice Mayor Gillian Moran; Parks and Recreation commissioners Jennifer Crotty and Kay Whitney; community representatives Fran Franklin and Jack Mallory; and alternate citizen representative Monique Drum, has met at least once a week since April to organize the workshop, with the help of management consultant Rich Hughes, who has worked with the city before. At the workshop, the task force plans to break people into groups of 9 to 12 and give them play money to allocate to park projects as they see fit. There will also be a staff presentation and group discussion.
"We'll be talking about multi-use sports fields, indoor facilities, trails--big-ticket items, not just minor things," says parks director Bob Rizzo.
Rizzo says the city staff has recommended the money be used for various playground and trail improvements, a community garden, community center renovations, and a new indoor sports center. "There's not enough money to do this all, so we want to get a feeling from people on what the priorities are."
The money in the parks fund can be used for acquisition, development, improvement, or renovation of parks, but not for ongoing maintenance, which is paid for out of the city's general fund. Its coffer is filled by developers, who are required by state law to dedicate space or money toward parks when they build projects above a certain size. Recently approved developments, such as the Greenbriar project on Saratoga Avenue, have meant windfalls for this fund. There could be up to $2 million available, depending on what happens with Nelson Gardens and some other smaller projects, according to second-term Parks and Recreation commissioner Jenny Crotty.
Crotty says there have been increases in the number of kids playing organized sports and a demand from organizations like Little League and the American Youth Soccer Organization for more playing fields. She believes more joint-use agreements with schools for use of fields, gyms, and auditoriums are a good way of meeting that need.
The money could also potentially be used for development of the four-acre Azule Park, located off Goleta Avenue near Blue Hills Elementary School or the undeveloped areas of Kevin Moran Park, located near Scully Avenue. Some nearby residents have told the council they don't want these developed for fear of noise and traffic from construction and future users, while others have pushed for cleanup and beautification of these lands.
Crotty says the task force will report workshop comments to the Parks and Recreation Commission in July and the commission will report to the City Council soon afterward, when there will be a public hearing on how the park improvement funds will be used.
The workshop is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on June 8 at the Community Center. Anyone interested in attending is requested to contact Rizzo or Recreation Director Joan Pisani at 867-3438 by June 3.
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, May 29, 1996.
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