Publication Date: Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Pitfalls at parks?
Pitfalls at parks?
(October 26, 2005) Neighbors concerned over equipment neglect
by Sue Dremann and Bill D'Agostino
Although Palo Altans take pride in the community's abundant parklands, some neighborhood parks are in states of disrepair due to the city's ongoing budget woes.
Among the sites affected are Peers and Mitchell parks, where damaged playground equipment has languished for months, and Briones Park , which has been closed for reconstruction the entire summer. Other repairs include fixing drainage problems in Heritage Park and shoring up a deteriorated culvert in Foothills Park, which has caused a hole in the roadway.
"We don't have the money in the budget to fix this kind of stuff," said Paul Dias, manager of the city's Parks and Golf division. All told, unforeseen damage to parks will cost the city more than $50,000, Dias said.
At Peers -- where Southgate and Evergreen Park neighborhood residents say the worn-out playground equipment poses a hazard for children -- and Mitchell parks, the city has earmarked $25,000 to $30,000 for repairs. Those fixes are expected to be completed by December, Dias said. To pay the bill, staff has delayed purchasing supplies and materials for athletic programs.
That solution only works for the short-term, however, as the city will need additional funds from the City Council to cover the cost of the deferred supplies before the sports' spring openers.
"We haven't delayed; we've been finding the funding source," Dias said.
Such explanations haven't satisfied residents, though.
David Matheson, a father of two, wants the city to commit to more than "bubblegum fixes." The problems at Peers are part of a pattern of chronic neglect going back four to five years, he said. Broken equipment eventually gets carted away, but often isn't replaced.
Southgate resident Irene Au agreed. "It feels as though Peers Park is not held to the same standard as other large parks, such as Eleanor Pardee or Mitchell. It's a chronic problem of damage not being repaired or taking a long time."
At Peers last week, where a larger wooden play structure once stood, only sand remained. Two pieces of wood, looking like an "L"-shaped balance beam, were all that was left of another play structure, Southgate resident Maureen Tri said.
Whimsical spring animals, used by the littlest park-goers, once dotted the sand in colorful yellows and reds.
"There used to be five spring animals here," she said, pointing to a patch of bare sand with two pieces left. "And more over there," she added, gesturing to another spot. "(The play equipment) is slowly becoming extinct."
In the warm mid-afternoon, Melissa Fehl played nearby with her 2-year-old daughter in the small children's area. Fehl expressed disappointment with the slow pace of repairs in city parks in general, pointing out that her daughter can't play in Briones Park -- a mere four blocks from home.
"Since June, I never saw a single construction worker there," Fehl said of the closed-off park. "They are just now putting something up."
More than three months ago, a large tree limb injured five children and damaged a play structure set under a canopy of oaks and pines in Mitchell Park. The equipment has yet to be replaced. Its metal handrails are bent and jagged, its bolts sheered off.
Yellow police tape and orange mesh cordon off the broken structure, but that does little to keep kids out, noted Birgit Schwickert, whose 3 1/2-year-old son tried to wriggle underneath the similarly-wrapped domed rope maze at the other end of the park.
"He wanted to go underneath because he was playing with another boy, who was already underneath it," she said.
Staff Writer Sue Dremann can be e-mailed at sdremann@paweekly.com. Staff Writer Bill D'Agostino can be e-mailed at bdagostino@paweekly.com.
E-mail a friend a link to this story. | 
