30 replies to this topic

[parklady]

Has anyone noticed the backhoe and chain link fence at the park - football field and parking lot. I think they are putting in several there - the variety they chose unfortunately is a particularly tall and messy dediduous one (not particularly well thought out in my opinion as were the pine trees. I have several thoughts on this: 1) 13 trees is a little excessive for a tree that grows 40-50 ft wide and 70+ ft. tall; 2) What a mess for the front yards and gutters of the homes anywhere near the park 3) The wall of trees will block residents views of the hills 4) Any tall barrier (wall or vegetation) is not conducive to a safe neighborhood - you can't see in so it's much easier to hide in the field. We don't need more "activity" at this field or park. We have numerous calls out to the park on a weekly basis, anywhere from juvenile fights, drinking/weed, kids doing doughnuts in the parkinglot to a helicopter pursuit of car thieves. It's the same reason why a city will not permit a 6 ft. or taller fence in you front yard - not just because it might be ugly, it's because it does not promote security. Law enforcement needs to be able to see in as they pass by. Don't get me wrong - It's not that I don't love trees, I just think the decision is way shortsighed. I'm sure the only rationale is to block noise, but that won't happen when you have loud speakers bouncing off of the brick walls that sound barrier, it's a residential neighborhood. Any thoughts from others?

[parklady]

Sorry I guess I left out the word "trees" - that is what is going into the strip I believe at Livermore Park.

[zach5]

I dont live there, but wont it act as a noise barrier too?

[NRB]

I thought you all should know that a dog park at Livermore Park has been taken off the table. The most recent news I've heard is that the city is still looking to sell the land on the corner of Riley and McAdoo to a private school and will use the funds raised to complete the remaining ball fields. Sorry, but since the two lighted ball fields were in the master plan before we bought our homes we have no say in the matter. At least that's the feeling I got from the Parks and Rec. department. I don't know the timeline but the two lighted ball fields are still a go!

[dave]

I put this response in the wrong category. Here it is if anyone cares anymore.


(answers to an Empire Ranch forum posting)

Parklady: Jeff Morrow and Lynn LePage at Parks and Rec say that there have been some problems at Livermore. They say that they have tried to give "ownership" to the user groups so they help take good care of the parks, but sometimes it backfires and some liberties are taken with things like the lights occasionally.

The youth football season runs from July to November. Besides that there are no other user groups now. (the flag football has moved elsewhere)

During the season they say practices are during the week and are over by 9 pm. Fridays they mark the field and the timer will turn off the lights by 11 pm. Saturdays is game day with the last game starting around 6 so all should be done by 9 pm.

They say that the only day with parking being a very bad problem is game day. However, this year (and most years) there are only 5 home game days. (four or five different teams)

Overall, that doesn't sound too bad. I feel sorry for people who suffer through it, but homeowners do have the responsibility to do homework before they move in. The park is kinda obvious there.

With regards to the unfinished part of the park, there are currently no funds to complete it. This is bad planning on the city's part but remember that the people to blame are long gone. The city did not charge park impact fees to new housing until 1992. Ever since then we have been playing catch-up. However, we cannot charge current new development more than the current park fee. That would be penalizing the current developers for others mistakes, and it would be illegal.

[parklady]

Dave -
Thanks for your update. Yes, there are a lot of problems at the Livermore Park football field caused by both the field planners and the league. A park being there is quites obvious to all, but expanding the usage to stadium level, i.e., the large district wide events held there is quite another matter for a residential neighborhood. This has all evolved over time with no concern for the neighborhood's complaints or issues, and regardless of whether it was planned in "whomevever's" minds, it was neither conveyed to the developers nor the residents who bought there. Even still, there should be some responsiblility exercised on the city's part to plan activities which are not so disruptive to the residential usage. We're talking about several thousands of people on that field who come through in a day' time. And the parking and traffic is not only a nuisance, it's a safety hazard. As for NRB's comment about a school on the same site, I can't see how this can all be approved. Traffic for a school and 5-4 lighted fields in such a small area? - really some of the worst planning I have ever seen. The neighborhood needs to have some input into all of this.

[dave]

Parklady: What do you mean by district-wide events?

[parklady]

Dave -
The district wide events are the larger events they stage at this field. They invite teams all over the area and they play all day long. Last year, we even had kids from as far away as Oakland, complete with several tour buses lining the street in front of the field. They start setting up around 6am in the morning and often aren't out until after 10pm. They are manned by volunteer parents, who really do not control traffic, litter or much of anything else. You simply cannot control the number of people coming and going in a day - literally thousands. These events are complete with loud blaring music and announcers all day long, concession stands (booths selling their wares), food trucks, porto potties and the snack shack. A real carnival - and they charge admission to get in. As residents, we deal with this mess of loud blaring noise all day long (check out the proximity to the homes unlike a park like Lembi, which has more clearance from the residences), cars parked everywhere, totally inadequate parking on site and even when they open up the empty field few to none park there, cars blocking our driveways, fire hydrants, cars wrapped around the intersections, etc. I am not exagerrating when I say there are literally thousands of people who come through our neighborhood on these days. The police are not available to patrol or enforce throughout the day - they usually drive by and overlook everything if they even have time to come out. There is absolutely no parking for the residents and their guests during these weekends. We have people trampling all over our lawns and kids climbing ithe park walls nto our backyards, skateboarding and playing in our front yards and driveways. It is completely out of control and completely unacceptable. These events belong in a contained area and should be at the middle school football site where they used to be held. The school has a much larger field, much more parking and fewer safety concerns, and the site is contained. Last year we had close to ten of these in one season, this in addition to the daily football practices, cheerleading, adult flag football games, and then there are the baseball coaches who decide to use this field for baseball practice (totally unacceptable in an open field with the homes in such proximity). We've even had these events in some years back to back to the point that you had to leave home for the entire weekend just to get a little peace. As residents, we are subjected to food containers in our front and back yards and kids and pedestrians dodging in and out. Not to mention the people that double park because they are too lazy to walk so they block the street to pick up and drop off and even use our driveways to drop off and to turn around. It's a total travesty that the parks department would even approve of these events. Their response has only been to plant a few trees for the noise and open up the dirt field which no one wants to use because it's too far away and it's too messy and hard to get in and out of. The trees will add nice landscaping, but do nothing to mitigate that level of noise or take care of other concerns. The field's irrigation drains into our backyards and has destroyed retaining walls and landscaping. They need to move this mess and this liability out of our neighborhood and stop disrupting the lives of 500+ homes. These events have grown exponentially each year. This is definitely not an adequate location for them, but the league definitely somehow has a financial stake in the field there. The football league as well as the parents are quick to inform the residents that this field was "promised" to them. I'd like to know how such deals are made for private organizations on public facilities without considering the concerns and the impact upon the surrounding neighborhood. At one time, this was an empty field with no homes around it. Now that there are 500+ homes nearby developed within the past 4-5 years (some less than 20 ft. away). It isn't the same scenario at all as before. I think it's time to revisit this issue with the neighborhood's involvement and consider the existing environmental impacts. It is not enough to say "well, you knew there was a football field there" - The City saw fit to approve this residential development so we look to the parks department to protect us and balance this usage, to use better judgement in event planning and protect our neighbhorhoods from serious safety and liability issues. We expect not to be completely sold out to a leaque who pays high premiums for this field's usage. Football field there or not, we deserve the same respect as any other residential neighborhood whose taxes contribute to the wellbeing of our city. Would you want to live here?

[parklady]

NRB - Sorry to hear about the dog park at Livermore Park not being a go. It's interesting that you get the feeling that the two lighted fields are still on since they were in the plans beforehand. The private school they are proposing definitely was not in the plans before and so I wouldn't give up and I don't understand how they can alter their plans for one thing but not another. They only want the school for the moneyit will generate to finish off the park - I get the feeling they couldn't care less about what any of this will do to the neighborhood. Can you imagine the traffic and safety issues on McAdoo and Riley? Get ready - As I said before, you will end up reconsidering the impact to the homes on the other side of McAdoo.

[NRB]

They don't care! As far as they are concerned the two lioghted softball fields with a soccer field in between them are going to happen. It's funny because someone from the Parks and Rec dept. actually told us that we shouldn't try for a dog park at a site that would take amenities away from someone else (ie the lighted ball fields) yet they are considering a school over the proposed basketball court and rollerblading surface? I guess as long as it suits their purpose it's okay?

[tessieca]

QUOTE (NRB @ Mar 25 2004, 03:03 PM)

yet they are considering a school over the proposed basketball court and rollerblading surface?

Can you give more details on what you're talking about here please?

[NRB]

Tesseica,
I'm not sure if they plan on a sale or lease of the land on the corner of McAdoo and Riley but that portion of the park may be used for a private school (like the Learning Center etc.) and the funds generated would be used to complete the remainder of the park. They have a similar situation at the park in Natoma Station I believe. I applaud their efforts to come up with alternative ways to fund the completion of the park especially in light of the tight budget but don't tell me a dog park will take away amenities and a school wouldn't. They also did this with the aquatic center and Walgreens. I am not exactly sure which amenities will be given up to make room for the school but certainly some will and since we know that the two lighted softball fields and soccer field are still a go I assume that it is the basketball courts and rollerblade surface that will get nixed. There will also be another water tank added right next to the existing one but as I understand it the City has nothing to do with this.

[tessieca]

Ah, a preschool. Those can be quite profitable joint ventures. This is an aside. I do not have an opinion on the dog park issue, especially since both of my dogs recently passed away.

[dave]

The biggest obstacle to a dog park at this location is the cost. It would need a parking lot and maybe turf.

A dog park was not considered in the city park plan. It came up relatively recently. The cost for the dog park will have to come from some other planned park element. That is why it must be as inexpensive as possible. Try Kemp Park. It has grass and a parking lot.

Parklady: Doesn't sound like a good situation with the game days at the park. Good thing it's only 5 days a year. Do you have any other realistic alternatives?

[parklady]

NRB - You're right - they don't care. That is why we need to become more involved. The football fiasco is enough that they should be re-examining their plans here - there isn't even enough parking for the football field, let alone 3 or more fields. And what about the environmental impacts of 4 or more lighted fields in this location. Another water tank is even more bad news, and I don't understand how they can locate a school in such close proximity. I can tell you that they are heck bent on making the park the football and softball headquarters of Folsom. This land space isn't even 1/2 of what is available at Lembi and the residences were planned much more carefully around Lembi's facilities. More people need to wake up. It's not going to be pretty and the parks people don't care. Amenities, my a.... This town has more softball/baseball fields than any town I knew in the Bay Area of this size. We have two baseball fields already within 1/4 mile. And if they're really needed, how about spreading them out around town. And you can't tell me that the rollerblade facility and basketball courts equal the area that would have been devoted to anything else - dog park or school. There's no way they can have enough parking for any of this, let alone a school. If you look at the original plans, there is something like less than 65 parking spaces total (before the school plans entered the mix). If allowed to proceed, this will be the worst traffic and congestion nightmare this town has ever seem, only (unlike our Sibley friends) it won't be temporary. WAKE UP PEOPLE!