Commentary: Youth sports fields the unresolved issue

As the Fairview Park Citizens Advisory Committee lurches to its possible demise on April 1, it is important to point out a few facts.

One misconception is the committee’s duty. It is charged only with making recommendations to Costa Mesa’s Parks and Recreation Commission for improvements to Fairview Park. That’s all.

The committee has no budget and no power to direct anyone to do anything, save for requesting staff support in gathering and presenting data.

Once the parks commission has been given the recommendations, it will consider and accept or reject each one as it sees fit. The commission will then forward its recommendations to the City Council, which will make the final determination.

From day one, the major issue facing the Fairview advisory committee has been whether to recommend the development of a field or fields for youth sports. So far, the committee has voted to reject fields in three quarters of the park. The final section, known as the southeast quadrant, is the area in which the Orange County Model Engineers run ridable trains.

The anticipated plan for this area includes a new route for the trains that would encircle a field or fields. No serious recommendation to remove the trains has been offered, and it is unlikely that such a recommendation would be supported by the committee.

Because of the popularity of youth sports and the anticipated rise in interest in lacrosse, another field sport, leaders on both sides of the field debate agree that more fields are required. The question is what is the shortest, most effective path to a long-term resolution of this challenge.

In their letter of Jan. 7, the Newport-Mesa Unified School District board and the superintendent wrote to the advisory committee describing an “over reliance on school fields” and urging the committee to “develop a long-term solution for more sports fields in Costa Mesa that doesn’t rely solely on using school district property.”

The letter is an indirect statement of support for fields at Fairview Park, though based on public comments over the past 21 months, it is at odds with the wishes of the vast majority of Costa Mesans.

The trustees’ specific concerns are the wear and tear on school fields and the addition of lighting, both of which cost money that the district says it doesn’t have. In multiple conversations with youth sports supporters and city officials, however, it is my belief that the maintenance and lighting issues can be resolved without significant spending.

Lights present the added challenge of being seen as an annoyance by nearby residents, but with new lighting technology and resident-friendly scheduling, this too can be resolved.

The public schools in Costa Mesa have all the fields required to accommodate current and future youth sports needs. Meaningful discussions between the city and the school district are required to determine schedules and financial responsibilities. Until those discussions occur, the children of our city will continue to suffer.

Costa Mesa resident STEVE SMITH is the acting chairman of the Fairview Park Citizens Advisory Committee.