From the Email Inbox: Berry Pocket Park

From the Email Inbox:

As I recall, during a City Council Meeting, when Steve Berry presented his plans for the park caddy corner from the Junior high school, that they planed to surround it with rose bushes and put a big mound in the middle to discourage anyone from using the "pocket park". That would not be a park.

Grand Terrace is behind State requirements for providing parks. The so called park next to the senior living project is suppose to have a park next to it also, but it is not meant for kids either. I seem to see a theme going here. There are plans for a dog park, a senior park and a no park.


Gramps Writes:

I agree with your concern, however, the "City" has no plan for a Dog Park. and IF there were a dog park the dogs come with People too, so that would be more of a Public Park than the LIMITED USE: Senior Passive Park or the Proposed Steve Berry: Pocket Park with Roses and a Mound or a Visual Park as it is being proposed. A Senior Park without Restrooms for the Seniors or Public to use as part of the Park Design is not a practical design, or a design that will encourage Use by the Public or the Seniors. (Need I be more direct? OK Seniors need to be close to Restroom Facilities).

The Dog Park is actually a Private Foundation Concept and a few individual private citizens behind the idea., The “City” has not been helpful with any of the plans or site selection of a Potential Dog/Public park. Lip service is the most anyone can say the City Council or City has provided the Dog Park.

Public Parks require Public Sanitation Facilities, aka Restrooms and this they fear will attract, homeless people... and vandals... So the City's (Berry, Schwab and Ferre's solution is to spend all park money on what looks like a park, but functions as a landscape.) Cortez and Garcia go along as directed, or in their desire for “Unity”.

A small pocket park, could be a great place to have a restroom for bike riders, and parents waiting to pick up their kids from the Jr. High, and perhaps a Chess / Checker's Club... Mentoring Park... There are many things that could be done that would even be inclusive of the teens they so much want to distract by having thorns and roses. PUBLIC SPACE should be PUBLIC SPACE, Perhaps Free Pick Fruit Trees? I don’t have a lock on an idea, I do know I am not for a Visual Park Only.

A Dog Agility Training Park, would also include a place for the dog owners... and this does not have to be a big area, and can be done to be attractive like Disneyland would make.. creative use of design to function...

100,000.00 for rocks, and roses is a bit much for a park with no function other than the eyes. This Eye Park will need weekly operational costs for water, and trimming. No doubt we’ll have to hire more people on the City Staff to handle the increased work load. How about a 100,000.00 grant to the 4H to build a Park / Meeting Place with an Edible Land Scape… and perhaps others could have thought of better things, IF the STAFF had wanted PUBLIC input.. BUT THAT WAS NOT THEIR PLAN ALL ALONG.