COMMUNITY COMMENTARY -- CHUCK BEAUREGARD

Recent articles have represented a concern voiced by council members

Debbie Cook and Connie Boardman about a Measure L vote taken in 1996

(“Sports complex raises questions over use of Measure C,” Dec. 28).

Ballot measures have a limited word count and therefore they are very

brief. Here is the wording of Measure L:

“Shall the city of Huntington Beach, at a cost of $1.5million,

construct lighted soccer and softball fields, a roller hockey and snack

bar, concession, parking, restrooms, and related improvements in an

undeveloped portion of Huntington Central Park, south of Talbert Avenue

and east of Goldenwest Street, on property that was formerly a landfill

and mushroom farm?”

The question posed is how can a vote for a $1.5-million facility have

escalated to $16 million? The answer is it didn’t. Yes, the facility is

larger than initially planned, but the increase in size was needed to

allow the facility to generate enough income to cover the heavy

mitigation cost to use the land.

The development of the sport fields alone is about $3.8 million. Most

of the additional cost is for the measures it will take to make the land

usable again, approximately $9 million to $11 million.

Some additional cost comes from the plan having twice as many parking

spaces -- 848 -- than required by code, both because it is the best use

of the actual landfill site and to ensure that there is no impact on

surrounding residents or library patrons.

The plan calls for the city to transform a trash site that is unusable

to the community into sports fields and playgrounds with no new taxes and

no assessments.

It creates an opportunity to relieve the impacts of overcrowded

elementary school site fields currently being used for youth sports. It

is consistent with the city’s general plan, and it was the No. 1

recommendation of a recreation study conducted by the city in

coordination with all five school districts in 1998.

The city has put together a plan that is good for the entire community

-- young and old alike -- all of the citizens of Huntington Beach whether

they live in the south, north or central part of the city. Using state

funds and other money generated from adult softball, tournaments and

parking, these plans require little support directly by Huntington Beach

citizens.

The vitality of our city is in our children. Huntington Beach isn’t a

town of two-bedroom homes. It is a town of four- and five-bedroom homes

-- ones with children.

Children need places to play and develop. We are now down to the

properties that have problems that need to be fixed before any use can be

made of the land, even grass.

The plan isn’t to build hotels or office buildings, it is to build

grass fields for softball and soccer.

Over the last four years, the City Council, city staff, school

districts and youth sports have worked together to come up with a plan

that is cost-effective and of major benefit to all of the citizens of

Huntington Beach.

By moving adults from Edison Community Center, Murdy Park, Worthy

Park, Greer Park and others to Central Park, those parks can now be used

for youth sports. The development of the Central Park facility is the

linchpin of all those plans.

I have faith the majority of the council won’t be sidetracked and look

forward to construction beginning in 2001.* CHUCK BEAUREGARD is chairman

of Save Our Kids and a Huntington Beach resident.