NCVV Approves Shading Structures for Valley Village Park

A $400,000 is going to begin this summer at Valley Village Park, with plans to install a new pathway, benches, an entrance ramp, signage, lighting, chess tables and other improvements.

Everyone on the council and in the neighborhood seemed to be in general favor of the improvements, except for one thing, which was the plan to add shading structures over the children's play area and picnic area. A petition was signed by 50 local residents in opposition to an older plan, with many arguing the structures were an eyesore and could lower property values.

At its meeting on Wednesday, the entire council agreed that shading structures were needed, but what form those structures should take is still up for debate. The council reviewed several different options presented by the city, but did not come to a final decision on a specific plan. Instead, the council empowered the city services subcomittee to make the final decision by incorporating the different viewpoints on the council and from stakeholders.

"Unless it's something really outrageous, it needs to follow something closely we have seen tonight," said Neighborhood Council Valley Village President Tony Braswell at the meeting. "Whether it's something attached to the equipment itself, or some of these shade structures that we've seen, and keeping in mind concerns that have been raised by stakeholders, (councilmember) Dr. Levy, and people that are in favor of this, if it isn't pretty inherent to something close to this, it needs to come back to us."

Residents on both sides of the issue spoke out at the meeting.

"My children go to school here, and we live not too far from the park, and we ride our bikes over very often," said stakeholder Pamela Shafer Moser. "I'm concerned because in the summer months we don't go there hardly at all, and it's a shame because it's so exposed, so it would be so wonderful to have it covered."

Resident Jim Covell, who lives across the street and also gave a powerpoint presentation at an of the city services subcommittee presenting different options, said after the meeting he wished the project would rebuild the entire playground area, incorporating a new shading structure that would be more visually pleasing.

"Rebuilding would make sense, instead of tacking something on, which just looks tacky," Covell told Patch.