HomeMy WebLinkAbout1999 newspaper article on PlayfieldsIRS
Everyone benefits
from playfields
After reading the letters by Blair Con-
rad and Steve Kurasch in the Jan 20 issue
of the SARATOGA NEWS, I felt a response
was called for.
The task force on playfields has spent a
lot of time and energy trying to determine
how the limited funds can benefit the
majority of the children in the area. The
recommendations being proposed are
only recommendations. They will still
have to be presented to and approved by
the City Council.
Even if the recommendations are
accepted and approved by the City Coun-
cil as presented, it is not final. At such point
the city will request that an environmental
impact report, including a traffic study, be
completed. A negative report could cause
the City Council to suggest changes or even
an alternative to the recommendations.
Regardless of where sports fields are
eventually improved or installed, there is
going to be some negative impact on the
area, and many residents living in the affect-
ed area(s) are going to use many arguments
for why it should not be in their back yard.
Saratoga has more than its share of NIM-
BYs (not in my back yard). Many of these
same citizens would be some of the first to
complain if their children were not able to
participate in various community sports
activities. This is so troublesome that I have
given thought to a policy that if we are
unable to utilize one of the selected sites
because of the NIMBYs, then we should
not allow children from the area to partic-
ipate in Saratoga youth sports activities.
This would be interesting, since it would be
a disclosure that would have to be made
upon the sale of the affected homes. Of
course, we are not going to do this since the
ones affected are the children.
i It is regretful, but our area has changed
over the years and as the population con -
tinues to grow, the area is going to change
more. I often hear the statement, "We
went home and it was so nice, nothing has
changed." Well, believe it or not there are
still a few of us that were born and raised
here. As a boy, the population of San Jose
was 60,000 and the surrounding commu-
nities were all farms and orchards with
very little population. Yes, our area has
changed a great deal.
I have now heard several people state
that the Heritage Orchard should be
turned into a sports field. There are a cou-
ple problems with this. First, that inter-
section is perhaps one of the busiest in
Please turn to page 15
LETTERS
Continued from page 14
Saratoga, Second, for those few natives left
in the area, this Heritage Orchard is very
important and as it is, because the area
continues to grow, the library and library
parking is already going to have to be
remodeled and enlarged, taking even
more of the Heritage Orchard.
The traffic, for sports activities, would
not be much different than it is now. As for
AYSO, the field would continue to be used
for practice, as it has been for years. The
only difference is the field would be safe for
the children. While I can not speak for Lit-
tle League, it would most likely be used for
practice and perhaps some games. One of
the letters stated the Little League games
would increase the Saturday traffic by hun-
dreds of cars. Assuming there would be
four Little League games on a Saturday,
and assuming every player showed up and,
further, there were no car pools, this would
involve about 90 cars, not hundreds.
One letter states that additional traffic
creates a hazard for the local children play-
ing in the street. I agree, but this has
become the case in almost all neighbor-
hoods; fortunately, your children can play
at the school and sports field. This is .a lux-
ury that most of us do not have.
Yes, times change and we must all
change with the times. Over the past sev-
eral years the traffic in front of my home
has increased by several hundred percent,
and the quality has gone from the average
vehicle going a little over the speed limit to
the average vehicle going 10 to 20 mph over
the limit. Believe me, even though this is a
community with a lot of children, we do not
let them play even by the side of the road.
Mr. Kurasch states: "The whole impe-
tus for doubling up on school use for sports
came from the problem of maintenance
costs, which are not covered by the park
fund; the school district would be respon-
sible for maintaining the new facilities."
It is true that the funds being used to
improve and create the fields, which will be
used by the schools, sports groups and all
citizens, cannot be used for maintenance.
I contacted Mary Gardner, SUSD super-
intendent, and Larry Perlin, Saratoga city
manager, a couple of years ago stating that
since the schools had some land that could
be used for sports, and the city had some
money to improve these fields that AYSO
would like to work with the schools and the
city to see if the fields could be improved
and that AYSO would be willing to provide
funds for maintaining the fields, or at least
contribute a fair portion. This meeting was
the first of this process.
As it is, the different sports groups will
be paying the largest portion of the field
maintenance. These groups include
Saratoga AYSO, Saratoga Little League,
Los Gatos Girls Softball, and Cupertino
DeAnza CYSA Soccer league.
It should also be noted that even with-
out the field improvements, which all will
enjoy, the fields can be used by any and all
citizens, when not being used by the school
or reserved by a community group. It is
interesting that if the schools had the
money to improve these fields, they would
just be improved; there would be no pub-
lic hearings, impact reports or traffic stud-
ies. It is only since this is city money that
hearings even have to take place.
AYSO will be paying its fair share for
the maintenance of the fields. AYSO has
always paid the city, under a written con-
tract, and the different schools, also under
written contracts for the use of the fields
during the soccer season. Additionally,
Saratoga AYSO is in partnership with the
Saratoga Schools. We have donated funds
each year to the school so that the schools
could obtain needed items.
LARRY FINE
Regional Commissioner
Saratoga AYSO
/999
COMMENTARY
Sacrifice school trees for community gain
By NANCY CALDERON and SUE NAKAJI
Those of us who are parents and friends of Saratoga School
make education our priority. We, along with the plan-
ning committee, have spent tireless hours trying to make
the best school remodeling decisions for the future of our chil-
dren, the school, and our community. We take these decisions
seriously and realize the legacy we are creating for years to come.
Within the context of preserving the character, charm and his-
toric significance of the buildings and site, our primary objective is
to create the best possible learning environment for a growing stu-
dent population within the confines of a limited budget and space.
In the past, when 100 children in grades K -8 attended the
school, the small quaint playground may have been adequate.
Today we face the reality of accommodating a projected 500
children in grades K -5 and have the challenge of optimizing the
design and layout of the school grounds.
With the fourfold increase in students, the existing play-
ground provides an 84- square -foot hardtop area per child, with
notlat playground or usable grass field. By comparison, the Arg-
onaut and Foothill facilities will provide over 150square feet of
hard surface play area per child, plus a minimum of 175 square
feet of grass field area.
There has been much public attenticn given to preserving two
particular eucalyptus trees on the playground. Doing so would not
only limit improving the play space and layout, but would also
require installing an extensive and costly drainage system. These
eucalyptus globulus are the second most hazardous eucalyptus
spectres in terms of unpredictable branch failures (limb drops), espe-
cially on warm or windy days, and the potential for hazard will grow
as they age. Additionally, it remains unclear how the heavy con-
struction around the trees will affect their stability and lifespan.
It is important to understand that we are preserving the over-
whelming majority of the old as well as planting new trees on the
school grounds. One recent letter that was printed in the Sarato-
ga News stated that "27 beautiful trees would be destroyed with
the money we approved from the Saratoga School bond." The
facts of the approved iiutial plan include: 36 new trees planted plus
additional landscape trees, 17 trees re located to other locations
on the school grounds, 11 trees removed, some due to disease.
The current plan for the school grounds will provide approx-
imately 115 square feet of hard surface and play field area per
child and was approved unanimously by the Saratoga Union
School District board. Additionally, 196 parents and residents
of Saratoga signed a petition for the removal of the trees. Those
parents and friends were in favor of removing the trees because
they believe it is the safest and best alternative for the children.
Finally, every consideration has been given by the planning
committee to preserve the architectural style of the school_
Some of the design suggestions contemplated (i.e., arched Mis-
sion -style windows) were outside the guidelines of seismic com-
pliance or cost prohibitive.
We have given careful consideration to all aspects of this plan.
We have made proposals that have been approved by the school
board. We cannot afford the time nor expense of going to the
drawing board yet again. Now we want to begin creating a future
for Saratoga School and our children. The children are our pri-
ority and the longer the approved plan is challenged the more
our children lose. We implore you to choose to join together
with us and create an environment that will move us forward as
a school and community.
Nancy Calderon is a Saratoga business executive and the par-
ent of a student at Saratoga School. Sue Nakaji is Saratoga
School's PTA president. Ten other residents of Saratoga signed
their names to this commentary.
077
News
Questions remain in debate
over traffic safety at schools
Letters express concern
over congestion, speeding
By STEVE ENDERS
Since the beginning of the new year, let-
ters from residents have been trickling
into the city's Public Safety Commission
about traffic safety on streets around
Saratoga schools, especially Saratoga
School on Oak Street.
And while most letter writing in the city
pertaining to schools recently has cen-
tered on trees, the district's and the city's
attention is now shifting to concerns over
cars and trucks that, residents say, are
speeding by the schools. They're also con-
gesting narrow streets, letter- writers say.
And now, various committees through-
out the city and school district are begin-
ning to do something about it.
On Jan. 19, Saratoga Union School Dis-
trict Superintendent Mary Gardner and a
panel of guests addressed concerns about
district -wide traffic issues and those at
Saratoga School to an audience primarily
of residents from Komina Way near
Saratoga School. Representatives from
the city's Public Safety Commission and
Alternative Transportation Solutions
(Altrans) were also on the panel.
Altrans has been successful at starting
carpooling, busing and shuttle programs
at area colleges, and is now focusing on
elementary schools including Saratoga's.
The panel agreed that they would like to
implement a busing system in Saratoga
that would alleviate traffic backups near
schools. However, busing is expensive,
they said, and will require extensive sur-
veys to determine exactly what is needed.
Another problem is that Saratoga
School District is not the only district that
serves the city's children. Any city busing
plan would also have to include those
school districts.
The Sheriff's Department is also throw-
ing itself into the fray at the request of the
Public Safety Commission.
Deputy F.W. Zanker is conducting a
traffic survey on Oak Street, among other
places, and gave a preliminary report to
the commission at its last meeting.
"The problem's very similar to all the
schools in the West Valley," he said. "Since
the '50s, kids have been bused in and
dropped off on the corner, and that's not
happening anymore. Now you've got par-
ents who are dropping off and picking up
their kids all at the same time. And what you
have now is a horrendous traffic situation."
One letter the commission received two
weeks ago asked for a stop sign on Oak
Street, and others in the commission's pack-
et call attention to increased traffic prob-
lems near two Saratoga private schools.
Pete Gonda, the Public Safety Commis-
sion's administrative analyst, said that the
Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department
is still conducting traffic surveys along Oak
Street near the Saratoga School. When the
results are compiled, he said, the Public
Safety Commission will likely begin seek-
ing a solution to the problem.
Gonda also said that the commission
hasn't made any concrete decisions on
adding traffic - calming devices or stop signs
on Oak Street because of construction
scheduled to start at the school this summer.
"We'd like to hear from others in the
neighborhood to see what they're think-
ing," Gonda said, adding that he'll also
compile information from the sheriff
when it comes in.
Gonda also said the commission may
begin looking at a request for a stop sign
on the street now, however. The request
calls for a stop sign at Third and Oak
streets, mainly to slow cars down when
they cross the intersection.
Deputy Zanker said another stop sign
may not help there, because he's seen
many parents drift right through existing
stop signs to hurry their children to school.
When he sees people who don't stop,
Zanker said, he'll cite those drivers.
r- " d U
Consider sacrifices
when building
This is in response to the article by Larry
Fine and Mark Linsky, in the Jan. 6 issue
of the SARATOGA NEWS.
Although I have no disagreements with
his comments on the need for additional
soccer fields; I think he missed addressing
the entire picture.
Simply wanting additional athletic fields
doesn't mean that we must "do whatever
it takes" in order to have them. We must
first consider the value of the sacrifice.
A similar situation exists at Saratoga
School regarding the removal of the euca-
lyptus trees. The school district wants
"improved facilities for the kids." We must
first consider the sacrifice: does "for the
kids" include being shaded by and enjoying
the presence of stately established trees?
A reprise of the "improved facilities"
theme was heard once again as the j ustifi-
cation for removing the trees at the Arg-
onaut Shopping Center. Saratoga has
already sacrificed acres of open space and
ripped out heritage "messy" trees that "can
drop branches." Does that mean we should
remove every tree in our city because it
might someday injure us or our children?
If we convert small neighborhood parks
to large athletic fields and remove land-
mark trees "for the kids," we adults have
taught our children that respect for others
and nature is irrelevant when we are
"improving facilities."
We must temper progress and improve-
ments with thoughtful regard for others'
wishes, our environment and the future of
Saratoga. We must explore all options and
be creative in our solutions. We must not
dumbly accept the solutions offered by any
special interest group. For example, there
is still undeveloped land in our city that
might be available for use as additional
athletic fields; has anyone seriously con-
sidered exploring that option?
The issue of additional athletic fields
and tree removal has already pitted neigh-
bor against neighbor. We cannot allow
such problems to divide our city; too many
county, state and federal agencies are
attempting to do that. We must work
together to find viable solutions.
We Saratogans have a difficult decision
to make: we must decide whether we want
top -notch athletic and shopping facilities
or whether we want the beauty and
majesty of mature trees.
Do we want to retain our unique semi -
rural ambiance or do we want to sacrifice
it? Do we want to look like just another
bedroom community? Do we want to be a
minimum services city or a provider of
comprehensive services? We must care-
fully evaluate what is ultimately in the best
interests of children, ourselves and our city.
MARCIA FARISS
Saratoga Glen Place
_!54rP_ATP�iA -lam
Vol. 46, No. 5 Wednesday, February 3,1999
COUNCIL HEARS
LONG - AWAITED
PRESENTATION
ON PLAYFIELDS
Many residents turn out
to argue both pro and con
Decision is due in March
By STEVE ENDERS
t was supposed to be a Saratoga City
Council meeting designed, in part, to
take in a long- awaited presentation by
a city -hired consultant on how the city
should proceed with building playing fields
at four sites in the city.
But before the presentation ever got off
the ground on Jan. 26, resident after resi-
dent gave a pitch to the council pleading
both for and against the fields, especially
the field reconstruction under considera-
tion at Marshall Lane Elementary School.
After the dust settled, more than 25 res-
idents, mostly from the Marshall Lane
area, had their say —most repeating to
councilmembers time after time the need
to consider the potential for increased traf-
fic around Marshall Lane.
Nearly three hours later, the council final-
ly was able to do what it had assembled to
do, as residents still continued to press both
the consultant and the council with ques-
tions pointed mostly to traffic safety issues.
Some residents also expressed concern
that they had not had an opportunity to pro-
vide information to the Playfields_Devel-
opment Task Force, which has held many
meetings over the past nine months around
the city to take comments from the public.
City staff and task force representatives
repeatedly told the audience that no one
has been excluded and that the public will
Please turn to page 12
Playfields
Continued from page 7
be heard again at upcoming public hearings.
The meeting on Jan. 26 wasn't supposed
to be a public debate on the issue but a
chance for the council to get information
from its consultant. Residents were sched-
uled to have their say at a public hearing
before the city's Parks and Recreation
Commission Feb. 1.
At that meeting, the commission was
scheduled to make a recommendation on
the playfields to the City Council, which
will likely rule on the matter after further
public hearings sometime in March.
City -hired landscape consultant Jay
Beals, despite pleas for traffic safety,
wasn't prepared to deal with traffic issues.
Rather, he was hired to figure out how to
best renovate the fields and how mainte-
nance costs and responsibilities can be
shared by the city, local school districts
and the users of the fields.
"The traffic situation in a locked -in neigh-
borhood like Marshall Lane needs to be
resolved," Beals said. "There are answers
for that, and it wasn't our charge to answer
it. When all the studies are done, they'll find
ways to mitigate the traffic issue."
Beals told the council that the burden
and cost of maintaining the fields can be
split by entering into agreements with the
Campbell, Saratoga and Cupertino school
districts, which operate three of the four
PI
4�4 llzn
playfield sites. The city will also have to
form similar contracts with the users,
which include soccer leagues and Quito
Little League, to maintain the fields.
The playfields proposal includes reno-
vating or completely rebuilding the turf at
Congress Springs Park, Blue Hills Ele-
mentary, Marshall Lane Elementary and
Foothill Elementary.
Beals also said that the user groups and
school districts are willing to help maintain
whatever fields are built. When referring to
costs of the project, Beals told the council
that costs tothe city will decrease signifi-
cantly because of the help it will likely get.
Still, the overall cost of the project to the
city will be nearly $2.1 million, which will
be paid for from park development funds.
Beals also suggested the creation of a
nonprofit organization that could raise
funds and volunteer its members to help
keep the fields and parks in good shape.
He said such organizations have been suc-
cessful in neighboring cities that have
recently upgraded their fields.
The council heard that the fields are in
such disrepair that they're almost unsafe.
"The clay soil that we have around
here does real good for fruit trees, but not
so good with so many little feet pounding
on it," Beals said, while explaining the
extraordinary amount of wear a field sees
in its lifetime.
Beals said that he's spoken with one
maintenance company which will guaran-
tee that, if it is awarded a contract, the
fields will have a lifespan of 20 to 25 years.
Fields will create
unsafe traffic
Yes, kids should have a place to play soc-
cer. But soccer traffic should not impact
our neighborhoods and the safety of the
children coming and going from school,
nor use up land which provides a place for
free play that is fundamentally important
for our school and neighborhood children.
From my experience, vans are the favored
transportation system used by soccer moms
in the area. Vans just do not allow a person
to see very well as they try to park and back
up. I have now been run into twice (my body
once and my car once) by vans trying to back
up in the Lucky store parking lot.
Both times van drivers were very sorry.
They just didn't see me. I don't think of
myself as a large person, but I am much larg-
er than a young child and though small, my
car is very much larger than a young child.
I have been to soccer practice many
times at Fisher, where my little car was the
only car and the rest were vans, mostly
very large vans. This is the last thing we
need -in a place like the Marshall Lane
neighborhood where there is no defined
place 'for children to walk and thus they
walk on the edge of the road, exactly where
vans would try to parallel park. Children
walk there not j ust at times when school is
beginning and ending, but by 11:30 a.m.
and all through the afternoon at odd times
right up to 6 p.m. and later in the summer
and all through the weekends.
When I was on the city council, we start-
ed to establish walking and bike paths in this
eastern part of the city beginning along
Allendale Avenue and Quito Road, but the
space is too narrow to provide a separate,
safe place for the children, especially imme-
diately around Marshall Lane. The city
never had the will or dollars to provide a safe
space to walk in the neighborhoods even
where there may be room for paths. Adding
vans to the mix vastly increases the danger.
Some have suggested using the Heritage
Orchard for a new playfield. The hard -won
promise of preservation of our city heritage
orchard would be violated by using that
space for soccer. This orchard was used for
environmental mitigation to make up for
other open space and heritage losses and
cannot be used for other activities without
violating the trusts of past agreements.
When I was on the council we did every-
thing we could to preserve the space where
the main post office now stands for a soc-
cer /ball field. It was an ideal site, but Red-
wood School wanted short-term dollars by
selling that field. I even went to Washing-
ton D.C., and met face to face with the
postmaster to get postal officials to change
their mind on using the Redwood field.
With more community support influenc-
ing the school board decisions, we might
have saved that site.
Over many years we fought the loss of
the Quito School and its field where dense-
ly packed houses now stand. That would
have also been an ideal site (though on the
border, not actually in Saratoga). Again
the school district wanted the short -term
dollars and the land was sold.
Later the Cox/Saratoga— Sunnyvale park
site was somehow transferred by a pro -
development council in [what I consider to
be] a highly questionable sleight —of —hand
conversion. This would have also been a
good, accessible soccer site.
Realistically, decisions to convert open
land in public ownership to private, built -
on land cannot be undone. Even where
private land potentially well situated (such
as the Abrams property) is still open and
may become available, new park land pur-
chase does not seem an option at today's
land prices compared with city revenues
and set -aside funds, though possibilities
could, of course, be investigated.
As a councilmember 19 years ago, and as
a citizen I fought hard to prevent these open
space losses as did many friends. Short-term
interests prevailed. We are trying to solve
a problem that now has no good solution.
I have to favor the safety of our school
and neighborhood children over the new
proposed activities.
CHERIEL JENSEN
Quito Road
YOUTH HAVE
THEIR SAY
If you're 18 years old or younger,
and you've got something on your
mind, the SARATOGA NEWS would like
to hear from you. You can express
your views in Youth Talk, a column
intended to serve as a voice for the
youth of the Saratoga community.
Topics can range from music to sports
to politics ... or anything that strikes
your fancy. We're looking for essays
of 950 words. For deadlines and other
information, contact editor Dale
Bryant. Voicemail: 354 -3110, ext. 31
oremail:dbryant@sjmetro.com.
FEBRUARY3, 1999 SARATOGA NEWS 15