City, locals say park quieter

Nearly three months after city workers installed boulders and other measures aimed at curbing team sports such as football or soccer at Paularino Park, residents continue to report the presence of such games behind their homes on Madison Avenue — though their presence no longer seems to elicit much controversy.

“These young, 18- to 24-year-old guys were running through there, and they weren’t very considerate,” City Recreation Manager Jana Ransom said of the problem. “They often had more than 10 players, which according to our municipal code means you have to get a permit.”

Ransom added that she hadn’t heard any further complaints since the installation of the preventive measures, and the Costa Mesa Park Rangers said calls had also since dropped significantly.

Nevertheless, Brittney Hurley, whose backyard borders the park, says she still hears the games going on behind her home.

“No, they still play in the park, but it’s not too bad — we don’t mind,” she said. “Maybe I’m just used to it, but it doesn’t bother me.”

“They still play, for sure,” neighbor Ana Madrid agreed. “It doesn’t bother us — they’re not really loud, and we can’t hear it.”

Resident Martin Millard, a local blogger and vocal proponent of the measures last year, said he considered the plan a success.

“It looks to me as though changing the park to its passive state has been a success,” he said in an e-mail. “It looks as though the park is being enjoyed by far more people than before, and especially by parents with young children.”

“The new rock feature seems to be one of the most popular spots in the park,” he said, adding he’d like to see some concrete chess boards installed in the park and others throughout the city.

Mesa North Community Assn. President Colin McCarthy said that the response from members in his group living adjacent to the park has been “overwhelmingly positive.”

“The opposition to the idea of changing the park didn’t come from anyone within our community — the one person who spoke against it at the City Council meeting said her concern was that it was a racial issue, which some tried to argue,” he said. “There’s no basis for that claim whatsoever.”

McCarthy echoed Millard’s comments, saying he had seen more families and children playing in the park — especially after the installation of new playground equipment — and that many of his members have reported similar experiences.

“There is a consensus that there aren’t many people playing organized soccer at the park,” he said. “There are a lot more people with their kids and people walking their dogs through the park.”

Nevertheless, a group of OCC students kicked a soccer ball around the park Wednesday afternoon.

While they said they don’t play soccer very often — and they did not have enough players to make up a full-blown soccer game — it was clear the obstacles were not preventing their friendly game of pass.

“It’d be nicer to have a big field to kick it back and forth, but that’s not a big deal,” Tracy Odinsen said.

CHRIS CAESAR may be reached at (714) 966-4626 or at chris.caesar@latimes.com.