Community Corner
Portola Park Plans Proceed
Dog park, tot lot, multi-purpose open space, and pickleball courts are featured.
The second Portola Park workshop took place last night at the City Hall. Nearly 40 people showed up, many of whom were at the first workshop. Among the participants were 3 Council members (Nick, Voigts, Gardner), 2 Parks Commissioners (Herrin, Rosenberg) and a past Commissioner (John Irish), a Planning Commissioner (DeAlmeida) and several long time City activists (Bob Holzclaw, Mary Altoff, Tracey Tingley, Dave Herzberg, Steve Kuver).
The plan for the park consists of (in order of size)
- · A large 1 acre plus open multi-purpose space
- · A 1 acre dog park on the lower level
- · A tot lot with great views
- · 6 Pickleball courts
- · A sand volleyball court
Participants offered suggestions which will be incorporated into the final design before it goes to the Parks and Recreation Commission where the public will get one more chance to offer their comments.
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The meeting was not without controversy. Competing interests were disappointed that their chosen amenities were not included in the park, and would now have to compete for a spot as new parks are planned. Particularly vocal were soccer players who say that even though the city has 9 soccer fields as well as 4 multi-purpose fields, there is a need for even more dedicated soccer fields.
There was also some concern that the 54 parking spots being built would not be sufficient to hold the number of visitors. The problem of the drought was also discussed given the demands that a new park made on our water supply, highlighting the need for native plants, reclaimed water, and other water-wise strategies.
Find out what's happening in Lake Forestfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Jim Gardner is on the City Council for Lake Forest. You can check him out on LinkedIn and/or Facebook and you can share your thoughts about the City at Lake Forest Town Square on Facebook. His comments are not meant to reflect official City Policy.
Dr. Gardner has office hours every Tuesday from 3 pm to 5 pm at the City Hall. In addition, he holds a mini town meeting every month. The next meeting will be on August 15 at 2 pm at the El Toro Public Library.
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