City accepts Central Park master plan

Councilwoman Maureen Freschet reflected on fond memories of playing in the park as a child as she commended the plan’s balance between long-standing features and improvements for the city focal point at the edge of downtown.

“Parks are like houses with life cycles that need periodic refreshing and renewal to stay functional and attractive,” she said. “For me, this plan preserves the charm, character and most beloved features of our iconic park while giving it a much-needed update.”

Noting Monday’s meeting was the 16th public hearing held to review the plans, Parks and Recreation Director Sheila Canzian said planners had heard from major parks groups and constituencies along the way and considered their input in drafting the final plan.

“Because of Central Park’s high visibility, we needed to make sure that there was a robust public engagement process, which I believe we achieved,” she said.

Having identified priorities for the park’s new design — including maintaining open space, preserving its history and creating a connection with downtown just north of the park — three plan options were presented to residents in 2015 with a renovated children’s playground, plaza along Fifth Avenue, an underground parking garage and new restrooms among common features across all three plans, according to a staff report.

But concerns about the changes lingered among residents, who reiterated previously stated worries about the loss of three of the park’s six tennis courts and the Central Recreation Center, which is leased by Self-Help for the Elderly.

Jonathan New, who said he’s observed the park’s six tennis courts at capacity on both chilly weeknights as well as Saturday mornings, expressed disappointment with the plan’s inclusion of only three courts. Though the city has committed to replacing the lost courts in other parks, New said he preferred six courts in one place to six courts in multiple places.

“I don’t understand why you would take away something that is so beloved and so well used,” he said. “I feel like we’ve been heard but I’m not convinced we’ve been listened to.”

Acknowledging a noted preference among the tennis community to have six courts in one park to facilitate tournament play, Canzian said staff has discussed the possibility of building two courts at Beresford Park, which would bring the total number of courts there to six. She added that removing three courts from Central Park and relocating the remaining courts to the southern end of the park would allow planners to include in the plans a plaza along Fifth Avenue, which could likely only be accommodated where the six courts are currently.

As a weekly visitor to the Central Recreation Center, resident Betty Bernstein said she and the others taking aerobics class there enjoy the style of the building and the way it blends in with its surroundings in the park.

“It blends in beautifully with the area,” she said. “It’s just a lovely place to exercise and I’d hate to see it torn down.”

The city is expected to assist the group providing programs for seniors in finding a permanent location in the course of its nine-year lease, according to the report.

In response to concerns about the changes to the tennis court facilities, Mayor Rick Bonilla said he regretted the fact that a compromise had to be made and looked to future opportunities to provide more courts to help with the adjustment. He commended the planning process for including many perspectives and promising to preserve a resource community members of all ages can enjoy.

“In my opinion, it’s going to retain a lot of that quality which I have known about Central Park for many years, which is its timelessness and its serenity, especially the Japanese garden,” he said. “The park is a place where people can go and either just walk or play baseball or sit down and read a book — there’s something for everybody there.”

In other business, the council also decided to hire an executive search team to find City Manager Larry Patterson’s replacement. Patterson announced his plans to retire last week, and though the council will ultimately make a decision on his successor, the executive search team’s work will begin the recruiting process.

anna@smdailyjournal.com

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