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New parks commissioners like regional playfields idea
The trick is to not impose on neighborhoods
By Kara Chalmers
All three newly appointed Parks and Recreation commissioners support Mayor Stan Bogosian's proposal to consider forming a joint powers authority for regional playfields among Saratoga and other West Valley cities.
Norbert Fronczak, Nick Seroff and Sandra Dodge, all parents of young children, support the idea, as does Commissioner Elaine Clabeaux, who was reappointed for a second term.
Fronczak, Seroff, Clabeaux and commission Chairwoman Judy Alberts live in the Azule Park neighborhood. Fronczak and Seroff, who are members of the Azule Park Neighborhood Association, live on Seagull Way and Goleta Avenue, respectively. These streets are largely affected by activities at Azule Park.
The commission posts are Fronczak and Seroff's first stab at local government.
Fronczak, 42, is an operations manager for a semiconductor chemical company in Sunnyvale and runs his company's basketball team. Fronczak said he moved to Saratoga two years ago for the rural atmosphere and the peace and quiet. His two sons, ages 9 and 11, are swimmers, and played soccer in the past.
Fronczak opposed last year's proposed development of Azule Park into practice and game fields for Saratoga. "That wasn't a bad idea," he said. "But I think there's a better one. I think there's a definite need for playfields--I'm all for the idea of a central location."
Fronczak said he definitely does not want playfields disrupting the peace and quiet in neighborhoods. He also said he wants to encourage more neighbors' participation in such issues before decisions are made by the Parks and Recreation Commission. Citizens who don't participate really have no right to complain, he said.
"Part of a democracy is getting everyone's opinion," he said, adding that one reason he applied for the commission seat was because he hates to complain about something and not act upon it.
Fronczak said he supports the idea of regional playfields because pooling the resources of many cities would mean a better facility in the long run. Even if playfields are outside Saratoga's borders, they would be centrally located and near major roads, he said, and most importantly, they probably would not affect any neighborhoods. "Conceptually, I think it's a great idea," he said.
Nick Seroff, 39, works as an engineer for a San Jose company and has lived in Saratoga for seven years. He is the son-in-law of Commissioner Clabeaux. Seroff has three sons--ages 4, 10 and 13--who play soccer and basketball in Saratoga. He referees for the American Youth Soccer Organization and coaches one son's National Junior Basketball team.
Like Fronczak, Seroff opposed last year's proposal for developing Azule Park into playfields because the park is not easily accessible and the increased traffic and related noise and safety issues would affect nearby residents, he said.
Seroff and his wife were the first to propose moving the Heritage Orchard to make room for playfields on the corner of Fruitvale and Saratoga avenues. Although the suggestion angered Saratogans who wanted the orchard to stay where it is, Seroff said he received many positive comments on the idea, too. He said the orchard is large enough, centrally located and would not affect residents because it is not adjacent to neighborhoods.
"It's a logical spot," he said, adding that "somebody's going to be mad, no matter what you do."
Seroff said the joint powers authority is a good idea as long as the fields are close to Saratoga. He also wants to solve what he calls the biggest problem the Parks and Recreation Commission faces: communication with neighbors. "Citizens like to be involved in the decision-making process," he said. "I think we have to figure out a way to get people proactive and involved in this stuff as early as possible."
He suggested the commission look into using cable television and the Internet to gather more input from Saratogans.
Sandra Dodge, 36, an Oak Street resident, has lived in Saratoga since 1968. She is working towards a degree in politics, with a minor in legal studies, from UC-Santa Cruz, which she expects to finish this spring. After graduation, she plans to pursue a joint law degree and MBA at Santa Clara University. Dodge was a volunteer firefighter for the Saratoga Fire District, and she is a volunteer grocery shopper for homebound people.
She said she applied for the seat on the commission because she is a longtime resident of Saratoga who is studying politics and her 10-year-old son plays for AYSO and Little League in Saratoga. "I just really like being involved in this kind of stuff," she said. "It's right up my alley."
Dodge, who was active in student government at De Anza College, which she attended before transferring to UC-Santa Cruz, saw the notice in the Saratoga News announcing open commission seats. She thought being a commissioner would be fun.
Dodge said she has a lot of studying to do on the playfields issue in Saratoga, but she already agrees with the idea for regional fields.
Elaine Clabeaux, appointed to the commission in 1996, will serve a second term. A resident of Saratoga since 1967, Clabeaux raised two children in Saratoga, who now reside here with their families. She also has six grandchildren, who use Parks and Recreation services in Saratoga, so she said she is involved "like a parent."
Clabeaux thinks the proposal for a joint powers authority is excellent and will fulfill a need common to all cities involved. "I think [the idea] could solve a lot of problems," she said. "I'm all for it."
The new commissioners will join Chairwoman Alberts, Barbara Olsen and Sheila Ioannou at the first meeting in January.
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Saratoga, California Since 1955
