City Council OKs Improvements at 3 Local Parks, Aliso Niguel High School

The City Council voted Wednesday to add shade structures, restrooms and lighting to three local parks and to install lighting fixtures at the Aliso Niguel High School batting cages.

The batting cages will be made available for public use.  

At their July 20 meeting, officials approved, 4-0, the first phase of an overall plan to upgrade local parks. City staffers estimate that the first-phase cost will be $949,000.

The parks up for improvements:

• Foxborough Park, which will receive sports field lighting and restrooms.
• Woodfield Park, which will receive 12 shade structures installed around its bleachers.
• Aliso Viejo Community Park, which will gain six shade structures for the bleachers at the baseball field.

Following city discussion with local sports groups, it was decided that Aliso Viejo Little League would help fund the shade structures at Woodfield Park and Aliso Viejo Girls Softball would help fund the shade structures at Aliso Viejo Community Park, according to a staff report. 

In a separate but related action, the City Council voted to install lighting fixtures at the Aliso Niguel High School batting cages to allow teams to play at night.

The high school's batting cages will also be available to the public for individual or group instruction, according to a staff report.  

City Manager Mark Pulone said the batting cages upgrade would begin right away and is expected to be finished within two weeks.

Staffers estimate that the lighting project will cost at least $6,500. The city will pay 75 percent; 25 percent of it will be paid for by sports groups or facility owner “benefiting most from the improvements,” according to a staff report.

Other News

— The eighth annual Aliso Viejo Community Cup Golf Tournament raised $50,565 for the Boys and Girls Club’s after-school activities in Iglesia Park Community Center, according to AVCA President Robert Bunyan.

The tournament took place June 3 at the Aliso Viejo Country Club, and the Independence Bank team won the first place.

—The council honored Nikki Stewart as the Sun Conference Player of the Year for Women’s Golf and honored the four volunteer photographers who helped create the photo exhibit for the city’s 10th anniversary: Andy Abrecht, Raymond De Leon, Dyane Filip and Carol Moore.

— Officials postponed talks on a proposed parking lot expansion at Soka University.

— Council member Phillip Tsunoda postponed a discussion on considering asking the Orange County Sheriff Department to use Proposition 172 money to offset the rising cost of law enforcement.

— The Seahawks flag football team led the Pledge of Allegiance and gave council members T-shirts with its logo on them.

— Councilman Bill Philips did not attend. 

—The next scheduled City Council meeting is Aug. 17.