15 replies to this topic

[tee]

The city is preparing to build the park in Talus Ridge which is located near the new CostCo site at the end of Iron Point Road. We live quite close to the park and I would like to gather feedback from anyone who lives or has lived near a city park.

The park plans include a scoccer field and lighted basketball court.

We look forward to living near a park but would like some info on the good and bad aspects of this opportunity. Any input is greatly apprecaited.

[OctoberLily]

Personally, I wish the City would FINISH building one park before they start building another!

We live near Livermore Park on McAdoo and Riley. It's an eyesore at this point. Half of the park is built but the side that faces the neighborhood and adjacent street is just weeds, lumps of dirt and a wire fence.

I've been told that the City "ran out of money". Well, I think they need to finish the parks they start before they build another.

We've been waiting 4 years for this park to complete construction!

[john]

don't forget Amos Catlin park in Prairie Oaks. Right now, half of it is done (and looks great), but the other half is nothing but a chain link fence and old dirt mounds from construction. It's an eyesore!

[OctoberLily]

Hi John,

I just posted on Willowsprings forum, but do you think we could PETITION the city to finish the parks it has started construction and never finished before they build others?

I'd like to see all parks completed before another one sprouts up in Folsom.

Half finished parks here and there really looks awful. I hate walking by Livermore park because of the weeds, chain link fence and the garbage strewn here and there.

What do you think?

[john]

I just emailed our city council members - I encourage you do the same.

[cybertrano]

Personally I do not like to live near a park. I am currently in a quiet court and love it. I almost bought a house in the Talus Ridge area last year. Great area.....

And TEE, welcome to myfolsom.

[NRB]

We bought our house in Willow Springs partly because it was near a park. I think a park is a great addition to any neighborhood. There will be some noise issues when your soccer field is in use but personally, the sound of children having fun has never bothered me!

[john]

These are all good points. I didn't want to avoid the question that was brought up, I for one LOVE living right by a park (it's just unfinished, that's all). My wife and I go for a walk every day with our dog (well, we try and go for a walk every day)!

[cybertrano]

[camay2327]

Like John said, Amos Catlin part site North is a mess. They did finish Catlin Park South
and still do not even have a sign on it. I have brought it to the city several times and
even though it does not cost to much to put a sign on the property, they still
have not done it.

The last I heard the city Parks & Rec is not going to finish a lot of these parks until
the new parks are started and partly done. I am not sure if any of these parks are
ever going to be completed.

Take it to Parks and Rec and to the city council members.

[dave]

There are reasons for the partly finished parks. It all goes back 15 years to developers wishing to pay as little in park fees
as possible and city council people who knew nothing about parks but wanted a little armpit of a city to grow up and be a
wealthier city.
Now all the land is tied up in Development Agreements and the city is powerless to make the remaining new development
pay more in park impact fees to make up for it.
The reason for Livermore and Caitlin and others having unfinished phases while new parks are being built is simple.
The new areas, like Talus Ridge, are paying their park fees and they deserve their share of parks in their areas. The city could
take that money and finish older parks, but that wouldn't be very nice of them. The hope is that someday there will be
money from some other source to complete parks. In the meantime...don't hold your breath.

[cybertrano]

Very wise Dave. By the way, welcome to myfolsom.com. How are ya?

[john]

I think in the meantime (until the city has funds to finish the park), the city should get someone to grade the land, remove the litter, remove the chain link fences, and spread some wildflower seeds... at least it would look natural, and not as much of an eyesore until we get it fully developed. I'm envisioning it will likely be 5-6 years before the city finally gets around to these parks... might as well make them presentable in the meantime.

[bettyemahan]

Remember the mayor's article the other day about what great financial shape the city of Folsom is in?

[EDF]

Some Historical Perspective.....Parks....

Dave in an earlier post was right about the parks and the fees...

When I moved here to Lexington Hills in October 1989 the developers all promised that the areas we see now as the trails between the North and South Lexington areas were supposed to include the parks, trails and other amenities...

When my ex and I came up here in late August 89 to see the progress of the new house... we asked about the school(now known as Oak Chan Elementary)... When the sales guy told us to "drive down the street and turn left" we were stunned to see only a few concrete slabs along with some electrical wiring sticking out.. no parking lot... no mulitpurpose room.. no playground.. Zip, Zilch.. Nada... we got back into our car and was told the school was going to be portables for the first year... which was going to start in about 2.5 weeks... ouch....! That's a whole story in itself...

After living here about a year some residents then got fed up with the fact that not one effort had been made to add any green space to our nice new neighborhood... What this did was anger so many of us that we created a neighborhood organization called the LEXINGTON HILLS NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATION... LHCO...

I can't tell you how many Planning, Park and Rec, City Council meetings we attended and spoke at... not to mentioned the Neighborhood Organization meeetings... We worked and got a slate of neighborhood friendly folks on the city council.. Tom Aceituno, Sara Myers and Robert Holderness and for a while things did get a little better... but not much...

If you look at Lexington Hills today, we have the most amenities of any of the neighborhoods in town... we have tot lots spread around the various villages... due to neighborhood activism... The Folsom Kids Play park that our neighborhood put together along with many of the rest of the residents in Folsom, who came together for 2-3 weeks back in 1996 for an old fasion "barn raising".... Bob Fish, a Lexington Hills resident, helped write the grant that got us the trails that you see now over by the Folsom Kids play park.. Neighborhood activism also got the Beacon Hills park started...

In addition to all that, neighborhood activism got the attention of some developers and they started putting in some parks ahead of time.. ala the Parkway.. and Broadstone... all developments put in after Lexington Hills...

Neighbors at Briggs Ranch got their only park after the long process of collecting some of their own money and prodding City Hall for years.... and its still not done...! But they now have something...

The problem with what some say is "they should complete the parks they started first" is that the money comes from developlment fees for that neighborhood. They have to justify spending it in another neighborhood if the fees don't come from there...tough thing to do.. isn't it...?

If you want your parks completed, get ready for a long fight.. but it will be worth it...

Our efforts started in 1990 and we didn't get any parks at all in our neighborhood (the tot lots) until 1994-95.. Folsom Kids Play 1996 and Beacon Hill until a couple of years ago...

So if you start now... you might be able to enjoy them say in 4 or 5 years...

One of the things I proposed back in 1992 was a "document transfer tax" of $3.30 per thousand on grant deeds... the money would be earmarked for Parks and other ameniteis, such as a library or a community pool... we could have passed it back then but some long time local real estate guys were adamantly against it and it was killed... I projected at the time that it would have provided almost $1,000,000 per year in fees... and those were recession years...

We could still do that, but it would take a vote of the people and not just a city council action which was possible back then... San Jose where I came from had this fee and they are always out looking for projects to do...

Folsom is a great town... and could be better... but YOU have to get involved because your neighbor doesn't have the time... don't expect them to show to any of the meetings... they have kids at baseball practice, cub scouts... etc... they will however appreciate what you do when they see the results of YOUR time...

Many of us are tired of fighting city hall... but if you decide to fight for your parks you will win eventually because they hate "squeaky wheels"...

Even if YOU DON'T like living near a park, they are important and they do add value to the price of your home and to the quality of life in Folsom...



other than that I don't have an opinion....