A Tale Of Two Parks, And Why More People Are Going To Be Angry This Summer

Good morning, and welcome to the spring of our winter. It’s difficult to get any work done when spring fever is upon us, distracting us with gorgeous sunny weather and nary a drop of rain in the forecast. I know, I know – we need rain. But weather like this in wintertime is exactly why I choose to spend my days in northern California.

Weather like this reminds me of being outside, which reminds me of the parks, which reminds me of the meeting Wednesday night at Hidden Valley Elementary School, regarding the upcoming remodeling of Hidden Valley Park.

A total of 12 people showed up to hear engineer Tim Tucker, landscape architect Brian Killian, and civil engineer Christine Parks explain the new amenities that are going to transform what is now a pretty nice park into a very nice one.

There will be new landscaping, an orchard, a vineyard, wide concrete trails around the perimeter, and more level playing fields. Let’s face it, we can all use more level playing fields, am I right?

This project is going to be a good one, no question. It should make the residents very happy when it’s done.

But here’s one thing I can guarantee you: when the people who live in the area find out that their park will be closed and graded and reduced to dirt for at least a year, they’re going to be very upset. They’re going to ask why they weren’t told about it. They’re going to be furious that they will have to spend at least one summer (this one) without access to that park for themselves and their children.

It’s not unusual for people to be upset by change. And change for the better is, after all, a good thing. But here’s where I’m going with this: in this day and age, with all the tools of communication at our disposal, why can’t the city do a better job of letting people know about such a major change coming their way? It would serve everyone’s interest to do so. Fewer people would be less upset, and far less critical of the city when the work gets underway. The city would be much less of a target for the wrath, and get more appreciation for the work they do.

When Rankin Park was scraped beyond recognition last summer, a lot of people were appalled. Why? Because they didn’t know it was going to happen. Folks just woke up one morning to find their park gone, and mounds of dirt in its place. No explanation, just excavation.

The city’s excuse? That they had held two years of discussion by the Parks, Recreation, Marina and Cultural Commission about the projects, and since those were public hearings, people could have found out about them. There is a shred of truth to that logic, but only a shred. Here’s the deal.

Yes, it’s up to all of us to participate in our government. But we all also have lives to lead, and we can’t all be expected to be at every government meeting. When a project as visible and dear to a neighborhood’s heart is going to be replaced over many months’ time, it seems that is the time for a major effort at communication.

This is the age of Facebook and Twitter. The city has a website, water bills, a newsletter, a City Council. The city can and should find creative ways to reach out to people about major projects that take place. Perhaps leaving communication in the hands of engineers is not the best of ideas. Perhaps that portion should be doled out to other departments.

The folks around Hidden Valley Park didn’t seem all that aware of the meeting on Wednesday. And those who were there didn’t hear about the one-year closure until I brought it up. I would urge the city to do a better job of notifying its citizens of major projects that will affect them.

That way, the city can get credit for the good work it does, instead of getting blamed for the lack of communication.