Mayor and chairwoman got 1 part of fields debate right

Costa Mesa Mayor Allan Mansoor and parks and recreation Chairwoman Wendy Leece have part of it right; the city of Costa Mesa has an acute shortage of sports playing fields. This problem will only get more severe in the future as high-density residential developments begin to affect Costa Mesa’s Westside.

Using part of the Costa Mesa Golf & Country Club as a location for sports fields has been suggested by Mansoor and Leece. However, the city should more realistically consider putting sports fields within the 30 acres that the city already owns, and which are sitting vacant, in lower Fairview Park. We should avoid downgrading the very successful Costa Mesa golf course that provides a sought-after recreational outlet for thousands of golfers a year, and we should likewise leave the unique and very successful train layout as it is in upper Fairview park.

The 30 acres available in lower Fairview Park are presently planned to become a groundwater replenishment area, which will become ecologically sensitive and end up mostly off limits to human access. It will be extremely expensive for the city to maintain, and it will generate no income.

Remember the jungle of trees and vegetation that choked the Santa Ana River channel recently after just two years of limited water runoff into the fertile river soil? And the $1-million fine the Army Corps of Engineers incurred for removing that vegetation from the river because by then the river channel had become ecologically sensitive?

Now the city of Costa Mesa is planning to take over where the corps left off and intentionally pour water over our prime 30 acres of fertile property to create a combination of swamp and jungle. All this while proclaiming their desperation to find property for sports facilities and even contemplating tearing up our golf course or destroying the train facility to find that land.

Eleven acres of our lower Fairview Park were given away by the city earlier this year to grow coastal scrub, which has little benefit to our city. In addition, lower Fairview Park is directly adjacent to the Orange Coast River Park, which will have approximately 800 acres of nature preserve.

How much nature preserve and coastal scrub do we need when our young people don’t have near enough sports fields and facilities? Is building an industrial-size, ground-water-settling facility, with mosquitoes, bacteria, odor and stagnant water, the best use of this property? Wouldn’t we be better served with upscale, city-owned recreational facilities bringing sports opportunities to our residents and bringing in revenue to offset our costs?

A few years ago the city spent $8.5 million to acquire the Farm Sports Complex at Costa Mesa High School so they could build six soccer fields. This was a very positive step and provided the city with a first-class facility that was badly needed. The property at Fairview Park is twice the size of the Farm, and we already own it. It’s paid for!

Should part or all of this property be used for sports fields? Could we have fields and an ecological preserve on the 30 acres? Let’s bring up the issue of sports fields at lower Fairview Park for fair consideration and do what is best for all of the residents of Costa Mesa.

We need to reconsider all of our options at Fairview Park and not squander this very valuable piece of property for groundwater replenishment while begging other government agencies for the use of their property for sports fields.

Tearing up the golf course or destroying the railroad should not be an option.