If it’s no good for kids, why seniors?

Nearly 20 years ago I served on the Ocean View Little League board. We were in danger of being displaced from our closed school site ball fields by the impending sale of the land to a home improvement center. We petitioned the city to allow us to build, at no cost to the city, youth ball fields on unused land in Central Park.

The property was perfect for a small field complex with natural bowls and flat terrain that would allow for a beautiful complex. And the land had been vacant for many years, was already properly zoned for such a use and it was filled with ugly weeds and rocks. It was far away from any homes and had easy access off a major Huntington Beach street. Who could possibly be against such a plan that would clearly benefit the kids of our community?

Ironically, the land considered for the ball fields so many years ago is exactly where the seniors now want the taxpayers to build them a new, inconveniently located senior center. The arguments against ball fields included the assertion that the use was “too active” for our passive Central Park and that so many kids running around would ruin the peace and tranquility of our natural gem.

To its credit, the city finally did realize that Central Park can be both active and passive and constructed a sports center for adult softball across the street. But that move did open up some previously used land for the kids, and new ball fields for Ocean View Little League were eventually constructed at another closed school site. And that original rock-filled site now has a “temporary” parking lot on it that, to my knowledge, no voters approved. It is also now being considered for a major zoning change that would not just destroy the “passive” use concept in that area, but would add significant structures that are very “un-park-like.” That just doesn’t seem right.

Oh, and the coincidental part ? the leaders who fought against building ball fields for kids in the park so many years ago? It was none other than the senior community.