BUENA PARK : Citizen Studies Take 20-Year Look Ahead

Reducing high crime rates and improving the city’s image are among residents’ main concerns, according to a yearlong study designed to help Buena Park officials plan the next 20 years.

The results of the Vision 2010 project, which took more than 14 months to complete, were made public this week at the City Council meeting. Hundreds of recommendations on everything from park safety to traffic flow are listed in the expansive document.

Charged with planning Buena Park’s next two decades, five citizen task forces have been working since June, 1990, to find out what is on people’s minds.

According to the report, what people are thinking about is crime.

“One of the biggest problems is seen as gang suppression,” Larry Holmes, chairman of the crime and public safety task force, told the council.

More than 73% of the residents surveyed listed crime and public safety as the No. 1 problem facing the city today. The results were culled from about 7,000 responses to questionnaires. More than 70,000 surveys were sent out to the community.

Residents supported increasing police patrols and drug education but did not favor increasing taxes to combat drug problems. The committee’s recommendations include starting a parks watch program and encouraging neighboring cities to work together to combat gangs. Besides a problem with crime, Buena Park also is suffering from an identity crisis, according to the city services committee report.

“We should have an image that is independent of Knott’s Berry Farm,” the report stated. “We have to put Buena Park on the map as a very special place.”

The Buena Park Mall, often the brunt of jokes because of its outdated appearance, was listed as one of the reasons that the city’s image is tarnished. Residents also complained that the Civic Center is old and impractical.

The three remaining task forces looked at traffic, the environment and youth and education. They listed a multitude of suggestions, such as looking into various grant programs to improve streets and encouraging parental involvement in education.

After the groups gave their reports, the council assured the committee that their hard work would not go unnoticed. “This is very provocative,” Mayor Don R. Griffin said about the surveys. “This community has given this council much insight on how to grow. Yes, we will use it.”

Council members did not comment on the specific findings, but instead agreed to meet with the different groups and discuss the results. The meetings are expected to begin next week.