Costa Mesa City Council Preview

-- Compiled by Lolita Harper

NEW MAPLE STREET PARK

Council members will review a proposal for a neighborhood park on the

city’s Westside tonight and decide whether to move forward with it.

The Public Services Department will present plans for a small public

park at 2150 Maple Ave. that would include a playground, picnic area,

turf area and a concrete play area. The 15,130-square-foot park will also

have sound walls and landscaping, a staff reported noted.

At previous public meetings, people raised concerns about the high

traffic area, noise and possible illegal activity at the park due to the

surrounding sound walls. At a Planning Commission meeting, Commissioners

Eleanor Egan and Bruce Garlich also asked that the city consider making

part of the wall out of wrought iron to increase visibility.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Staff has recommended approval of the park’s plan and to move forward

with construction.

BARK PARK RESTRICTIONS

The council will make the final decision tonight to limit the number

of dogs per person at the Bark Park to four.

At the Oct. 1 meeting, council members approved a tentative limit of

four dogs per person for users of Bark Park, located off Newport

Boulevard.

Following residents’ and Bark Park users’ complaints about

unsupervised dogs, the city sought to limit the number of dogs a person

could bring to the park. Park users alleged certain individuals,

including employees of local dog-walking agencies, were bringing up to 20

dogs to the park at a time, said William Morris, director of public

services.

The reason for the limitation was to ensure dogs at the park have

proper supervision, said Donna Theriault, of the Public Services

Department. If the ratio of dogs to people is unbalanced, dogs have more

tendency to dig up the grass, run wild or become more aggressive with

other dogs, he said. Bark Park was closed in the summer of 2000 to

allow the city to add parking and walkways to improve access for

individuals with disabilities and to give the Costa Mesa Bark Park

Foundation a chance to grow grass. Bark Park reopened in December with a

new irrigation system and landscaping.

The Public Services Department decided on a four-dog limit because it

falls in line with the city’s existing four-animal limitation per

household, Theriault said. Irvine and Huntington Beach each employ a

limit of three dogs per person, a staff report shows. The Huntington

Beach City Council voted to impose the limit last month.

WHAT TO EXPECT

The council is expected to adopt the resolution to limit the number of

dogs being brought to the park.

FYI

What: Costa Mesa City Council meeting

When: 5:30 p.m. today

Where: City Hall, 77 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa

Information: (714) 754-5223