Costa Mesa City Council Wrap-up

--Compiled by Lolita Harper

Here are some of the decisions that were made at Monday’s City Council

meeting:

MAPLE PARK

WHAT HAPPENED:

Council members approved conceptual plans for and officially named the

Westside’s new park, Maple Park.

The Public Services Department presented plans for a small public park

at 2150 Maple Ave. that include a playground, picnic area, turf area and

a concrete play area. The 15,130-square-foot park will also have sound

walls and landscaping, a staff reported shows.

People raised concerns about the high traffic area, noise and possible

illegal activity at the park.

Councilwoman Karen Robinson was concerned about the park having only

one entrance and exit. She said it could cause potential threats to

public safety. At a previous Planning Commission meeting, Commissioners

Eleanor Egan and Bruce Garlich also raised safety concerns.

The Police Department deemed the park design safe, and council members

approved the proposed projects.

WHAT IT MEANS:

The Westside will get a much desired park.

VOTE: 5-0 to approve the park’s design.

WHAT WAS SAID:

Westside resident Janice Davidson said she was happy to see a park on

her side of the city but was concerned about the high traffic location.

“We need parks desperately, but this one is in the wrong place,” she

said.

BARK PARK RESTRICTIONS

WHAT HAPPENED:

The council unanimously agreed to restrict the number of dogs per

person at Bark Park to four.

At the Oct. 1 meeting, council members tentatively approved a limit of

four dogs per person for users of Bark Park, located off Newport

Boulevard.

After residents’ and Bark Park users’ complaints about unsupervised

dogs, the city sought to limit the number of dogs a person could bring to

the park. Park users alleged certain individuals, including employees of

local dog-walking agencies, were bringing up to 20 dogs to the park at a

time, said William Morris, the city’s director of public services.

The reason for the limitation was to ensure dogs at the park have

proper supervision, said Donna Theriault, of the Public Services

Department. If the ratio of dogs to people is unbalanced, dogs have more

tendency to dig up the grass, run wild or become more aggressive with

other dogs, she said.

Bark Park was closed in the summer of 2000 to allow the city to add

parking and walkways to improve access for individuals with disabilities

and to give Costa Mesa Bark Park Foundation a chance to grow grass. Bark

Park reopened in December with a new irrigation system and landscaping.

The Public Services Department decided on a four-dog limit because it

falls in line with the city’s existing four-animal limitation per

household, Theriault said. Irvine and Huntington Beach each have a limit

of three dogs per person, a staff report shows. The Huntington Beach City

Council imposed the limit last month.

WHAT IT MEANS:

Residents will be allowed to bring no more than four dogs to Bark Park

at one time.

VOTE: 5-0 in favor of the four-dog limit.

NEXT MEETING

* WHAT: Special Costa Mesa City Council meeting for the Home Ranch

project

* WHEN: 5:30 p.m. Oct. 29

* WHERE: City Hall, 77 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa

* INFORMATION: (714) 754-5223