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Group withdraws its parks initiative, but keeps close watch on council

By Shannon Burkey

Members of the Citizens for Parks Preservation have spent several months gathering signatures to try and get an initiative that would protect the city's parks and open spaces on the ballot. But now they are withdrawing the initiative in hopes the city will work with them to address their concerns.

The group and the Saratoga Park Preservation and Field Use Policy Initiative grew out of a concern by members that the desires of residents were not being considered as the decisions affecting their neighborhood parks were being made. Members said that over the years the city council has allowed many of the city's parks to be converted into athletic fields and facilities, reducing park space for passive use.

The initiative was a way to protect the parks and open spaces in the city from further development and would have required any proposed development or expansion of existing recreational facilities to go to the ballot, according to members.

But after a Jan. 17 city council vote, in which the members unanimously created an entity to look into the issues raised in the initiative, the group decided to withdraw it.

"We are very pleased with the outcome," Councilwoman Kathleen King said. "The initiative is confrontational, and it pits one group against another. We have a much better chance of coming to a good solution if we take our time and work through it."

The city's willingness to look over the points in the initiative and try to address them was one of the reasons the group decided to withdraw it, according to spokeswoman Denise Goldberg.

"They have been really anxious to work with us and get a task force or commission together to look at it," Goldberg said. "They're willing to work with us, and we're willing to give it a try."

Even though the initiative is no longer in play, the group said it still has specific issues it would like to see the city look into.

"We've submitted a request for the parks and recreation commission to be reinstated, and we want assurance from the council that they do want an updated field-use policy," Goldberg said. "The parks and recreation commission is what we really want to see. We believe no matter who you are or where you come from, if you are placed on a commission to work on an issue, you will rise to the occasion. Whoever is on the commission, we are willing to put it into their hands and let it go forward."

Saratoga resident Karlina Ott opposed the initiative from the beginning. She and her family are involved in the American Youth Soccer Organization, and she felt the initiative would have adversely affected youth sports in the city.

"There is a great fear among some people that there are sports groups outside Saratoga that are going to take over our parks," Ott said. "One of the things we need to do is address those fears. We need to assure the people of Saratoga that the parks are not going to be overrun and that they will be available when people want to use them. It's my experience that the youth groups trying to use the parks are mostly from Saratoga."

Group spokesman Stan Bogosian is a proponent of letting the voters decide when it comes to changes in the city's parks. But along with the city's willingness to work with the group, he said organizers of the initiative did not have the signatures to continue the process.

"I signed onto this initiative and I believe in it, but the bottom line is the signature drive stalled out, and in my view you have to move on," Bogosian said. "But I do have a strong conviction that if the city council doesn't address the issues in the initiative now, we will have a problem next time a park expansion takes place."

The group will take a wait-and-see stance even though some members have mixed feelings about withdrawing the initiative, Goldberg said.

"There is still a distrust of the council out there, but it is a new council and we are willing to give them a chance. For the sake of bringing people together instead of fighting--in that spirit--we would like to go forward."