Saratoga News Marshall Lane residents mount opposition to playfields plan Residents tell City Council traffic will be worsened Debate heats up over issue By Sarah Lombardo Marshall Lane­area residents opposed to playfields at Marshall Lane School were out in full force at the Saratoga City Council meeting Dec. 16. The group voiced opposition to proposed plans for the school playfields and gave councilmembers information packets that included letters from residents and a petition signed by almost 65 Marshall Lane neighbors opposed to the plan. Residents said the city's proposal to make improvements and construct sports fields on the grassy playground behind Marshall Lane School would add to an already dangerous situation in the neighborhood. "We already have a traffic problem," one woman said. "That needs to be addressed." Marshall Lane dead-ends at Marshall Lane School. Streets leading into the area are narrow and do not have sidewalks. As it is, another neighbor said, the streets are too small to accommodate the traffic already in the neighborhood, much less more. The protest comes two weeks after a small group of sports league volunteers and parents sought support from the City Council for the construction of the fields. Those parents pointed out the desperate need for more and improved playing fields. Initial ideas proposed for the site by the city Parks Development Task Force include reconfiguring the present infields, adding restrooms and a concession stand,replacing a dirt area with a hard court and planting trees. The plans for Marshall Lane School, which is one of three school sites proposed to get new fields, touched on an ongoing--and often bitter--debate between sports league officials who need more fields to accommodate ever-increasing rosters and residents in the Marshall Lane area who say the school can't take any increase in use. In March 1997, neighbors mounted strong opposition to a proposal from Quito Little League and the Campbell Union School District to build two baseball fields at Marshall Lane School. Now, residents told councilmembers last week, the idea for sports facilities at Marshall Lane has returned, albeit from the city. The neighbors, one woman said, feel betrayed. Proposals for all three school sites--Marshall Lane, Foothill and Blue Hills--have yet to go back before the Parks and Recreation Commission. Once revised, the plans in concept must win the approval of the commission and ultimately the City Council. [ Back to Contents Page | Saratoga News Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Saratoga News, December 23, 1998. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.