One of my first dates with my husband was sitting on a blanket at Village Pond Park. I thought it would be a romantic evening to sit by the lake and talk. When we packed up to leave, we were not expecting the surprise – surprises – we found on the underside of our blanket. I have never seen so much bird poop! Needless to say, that blanket was a total loss. We could not get it clean, and I think Michael is still upset about losing one of his favorite blankets.
Fast forward ten years, and Village Pond Park is in the worst condition I have ever seen it. This park has been languishing under a false pretense that there is a lawsuit preventing the City of Lake Forest from fixing what residents call a “toxic waste dump”. There is so much bird poop, it’s impossible to walk without stepping in it. The grass is dying, there’s trash everywhere. And when the city contractor comes to clean the sidewalks, they spray the sidewalk poop into the pond, making a toxic soup even more toxic.
Dozens of residents attended last Tuesday’s Council Meeting to express their concerns. It was shocking to hear what some residents shared. Apparently, Village Pond Park has become a home to the homeless. One woman told the Council that she discovered that a homeless person had been living under her backyard deck. Residents shared how people ignore the “Do not feed the animals” signs, which is turning these birds into domesticated animals. That’s probably because in more than a year the City has issued only 3 citations, despite the fact that every day people are feeding the wildlife. One resident reported that City staff go to the Park and sit in their truck instead of speaking to people about not feeding the ducks and geese.
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The geese leave terrible messes in residents’ yards, and it is overflowing to the nearby school, where children can no longer play in the grass without stepping in a mess. Resident Christine Joiner shared some disturbing photographs depicting how toxic the water is. At the end of her speech to the Council she said some haunting words: “Village Pond Park is one piece of bread away from a total health disaster.” Recall that it was only a few years ago that a terrible duck botulism broke out at the Pond. Are we close to another epidemic?
If a member of the City Council lived close to Village Pond Park, would this delay be occurring? Many residents are asking this very question. Why is nothing being done? Why is this park allowed to languish at the peril of residents? Will it take another botulism outbreak to get the City’s attention?
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At last Tuesday’s Council Meeting, I got the impression that things might be finally moving along. Councilman Adam Nick tried to give us some good news, disguised so that the City Attorney Matt Richardson would not place a gag on him as he put on Dr. Jim Gardner. Because the City Attorney would not let the Council discuss the situation any further, we won’t know anything until the next Council meeting, scheduled on September 20.
What can you do to help?
I encourage residents to file complaints with the City of Lake Forest by clicking here. You can also file complaints with the OC Public Works by clicking here. I encourage Village Pond Park residents to set up a Facebook page, or other social media to stay connected with what’s happening. Let’s focus our frustration into doing something to fix the problem. Lake Forest residents deserve to have a better Village Pond Park.
It is unacceptable to me that the City Council and the City officials are ignoring the terrible health conditions, destroying the quality of life for people in the area, and seriously reducing the property values of the people who live next to the Pond. They hide behind a false claim that the HOA and the City are locked in a lawsuit about the Pond, but this is not true. Even the HOA attorney wrote a letter certifying that the HOA is not in any lawsuit over the Pond and doesn’t plan to be involved in such an action. What does this mean? It appears that the City is trying to hold the people hostage to a completely different lawsuit. It appears that without conscience the City is punishing its own people. This is not the way a City should be run.
Leah Basile is currently running for Lake Forest City Council. She is an advocate for the residents, and has worked tirelessly to make her community a safer and better place to live. Join her on Facebook at A Better Council For Lake Forest.
