Newport parks will be patrolled

June Casagrande

Park abusers beware: Come this fall, two city staff members will be

patrolling city parks, checking permits and helping out sports teams

that have been muscled out of their reserved playing fields.

The City Council on Tuesday approved a park patrol program that

officials hope will put an end to a number of problems now taking

place at city parks and playing fields: alcohol consumption,

vandalism, unauthorized use of reserved facilities, disputes over

playing fields and more.

“I was skeptical about this at first,” Mayor Steve Bromberg said,

“but now, I believe this is a good program.”

One of the biggest selling points for city officials is that the

program is almost completely self-funding. The $48,000-a-year cost to

hire the two part-time park patrol agents will be funded through

increased field reservation fees for sports teams, increased event

permit fees and increases in rental fees for park facilities such as

picnic space. Youth sports team representatives support the increased

fees.

The program came before the City Council after barely eking by the

Parks, Beaches and Recreation Commission in a 4-3 vote on April 1.

“When you can get 100% of the youth teams to agree to increase

their fees, you know you have a program that is desperately needed,”

parks Commissioner Roy Englebrecht told the council.

Commissioner Tom Tobin disagreed.

“During these tough budget times, I think we ought to take a long

look at it,” Tobin said.

The council voted 5 to 0 to begin the program; Councilman Tod

Ridgeway, who had been most skeptical about the program at a council

study session last month, was absent, as was Councilman Gary Proctor.

The new staff members will go through extensive training,

Recreation and Senior Services Director Marie Knight said. They will

receive training from the Police Department and from the city’s code

enforcement division. They will patrol the city’s 57 parks,

especially the 22 where most problems occur, and they will also

respond to calls from park users over space disputes and other

problems. They will be unarmed and will rely on Police Department

backup in confrontational situations.

* JUNE CASAGRANDE covers Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport. She

may be reached at (949) 574-4232 or by e-mail at

june.casagrande@latimes.com.