SOUNDING OFF:

I want to thank the Costa Mesa City Council for realizing the importance of open space in such an urban city at the Tuesday meeting.

Before World War II, when most of our city was open space, urban parks made sense, and creating an open space park would have been absurd. Now it’s just the opposite. Just as we wouldn’t want a football stadium in Yosemite, we don’t want to see commercial-lighted skate parks, lighted soccer parks, or lighted parking lots in Costa Mesa’s only passive nature park when there are plenty of other alternatives.

Costa Mesa already has plenty of urban parks that are better suited for adding urban activity to. As far as skate parks go, I still think one of the better options is to use the original location of Lions Park.

The area right behind the downtown library is another good spot for a skate park. If the Fish Fry doesn’t have enough room, let’s move the one-weekend-a-year Fish Fry event to TeWinkle Park and TeWinkle Sports Complex, the Orange County Fairgrounds, or even one of our junior high or high schools.

The added benefit of a skate park near the Downtown Recreation Center is that kids can skate or ride BMX and use the library and swimming pool as well as other amenities such as taking a summer art, gymnastics or skateboarding class etc.

Parents or relatives will be able to drop their kids off in one location while they are surrounded by many healthy choices and activities. As the city becomes more bike friendly, even more kids will be able to go directly to the Downtown Recreation Center on their bikes. This will also help to revitalize this area that has the potential for being something great 365 days of the year.

Even though I am a fan of the current skate park and am OK with building others in already urban areas when appropriate, I am thoroughly against the idea of urbanizing, electrifying, commercializing and ruining the quiet peaceful nature of Costa Mesa’s only passive nature park along with extincting or putting a further strain on Costa Mesa’s wildlife (93 species of birds documented in and around the surrounding area including red-tailed hawks, American kestrels, white-tailed kites, northern harriers, great-horned owls, burrowing owls and turkey vultures that really like Fairview Park) and ecosystem that the two-year drought hasn’t.

Fairview Park is Costa Mesa’s jewel because not a lot of people go there (the whole point of a passive nature park). If I wanted to feel concrete or asphalt under my feet, I’d walk around the block or hang out at the Home Depot parking lot. Fairview is a place where you can truly feel like you got away from it all.

Drugs and alcohol aren’t necessary for me in large part because of the peace the park brings me. I know John Muir and I aren’t the only ones who have gotten high just from breathing in the beauty of what God gave us even if it is just dirt and weeds to some people.

I hope everyone in Costa Mesa has the ability to share this experience as well as many generations to come. Hopefully we will be able to do a full restoration but in the meantime, I’m happy with “dirt and weeds.”

BRIAN BURNETT is a resident of Costa Mesa.