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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 24, 2003)
‘How many people would be going to Central Park in New York City if it was just all ball fields?’ — Mary O’Brien, Citizens for Public Accountability “It was a really ball field-oriented group of people,” says Marcy Cauthorn of Citizens for a Natural Amazon. While the 1998 vote may not be a good measure of how citizens prioritize natural versus sports parks, a 1992 vote dealt more directly with the issue. In a countywide ini- tiative, citizens voted by a wide margin to dedicate East Alton Baker Park as a natural area rather than building a golf course or soccer field complex. BALL FIELD BIAS Natural parks proponents acknowledge that the ridgeline parks and wetlands are valuable natural areas but say people also need neighborhood natural areas close to their homes. Preschoolers and the city’s growing elderly population could better take advantage of neighborhood parks, says O’Brien. “Must they always get in a car and go hike on steep slopes?” As the city becomes more developed, such nearby natural areas will become even more scarce and valuable, O’Brien says. “It becomes a real asset for a commu- nity when they set aside and make room for natural areas in a city in a central location,” she says. “How many people would be going to Central Park in New York City if it was just all ball fields?” But sports boosters appear to have the city’s ear on parks. Organized sports are by definition organized and as such are better able to lobby the city than large numbers of individual walkers, bikers, hikers and bird watchers, say natural parks advocates. Sports groups have shown up in force to city meetings to advocate for more ball fields instead of natural areas. Kidsports has a close relationship with the city, even scheduling playtimes among sports groups competing for fields. Cauthorn says she’s had little traction with city staff, even after pointing to their own surveys showing that people want more natural parks. “There’s a very defi- nite bias towards a certain kind of ability group people,” she says. “The balance has been towards people that are in organized sports.” Cauthorn says city staff have called sports advocates to make sure they show up at public meetings to press for their fields. She says no similar get out the testi- mony calls have been made to natural parks advocates. While natural parks advocates com- plain of staff bias for sports, Rogers of Kidsports is happy with city decisions. “I have to really applaud the people we have in the city,” he says. The city should keep the interests of the general public ahead of organized special interests, Cauthorn says. “Not everybody recreates with balls,” she says. “What’s the greatest good for the community?” “Whatever staff thinks is best, that’s what we’ll get,” Cauthorn says. Pringle notes that there was no public process or citizen input in the staff decision to install hundreds of new ball field lights in the northern section of Amazon park and in the decision to build two skate hockey rinks with small bleachers. While staff de- cided on their own to spend more than $100,000 on the sports lights, they have told citizens at meetings that natural amenities must compete among them- selves and other ball field projects in a strict budget of what can be spent in the southern part of the park. “Where was the public input on those lights?” Pringle complains. “The public process is flawed.” In meetings with city officials, natural parks advocates were told by staff, “We’ll make the decision. If you don’t like it, then go to the City Council,” O’Brien says. “That’s not a good attitude.” “Not all projects are put on for public discussion,” Riner says. For example, she says staff will decide for themselves how to spend the $1.2 million in interest that the bond measure produced beyond the initial $25 million plan the 1998 parks committee recommended. City staff held an open workshop last month ostensibly to gather input on how to spend $550,000 in bond money on Amazon park improvements. “Nothing is a done deal at this point, so we’re here to hear from you,” parks planner Carolyn Weiss told the 120 people who at- tended. But Riner said the decision on how the city will spend at least $350,000 of the money was already made by staff based on the broad recommendations of the 1998 committee. “This particular project is about providing an additional ball field,” Riner said in an interview. O’Brien says it’s been too difficult for citizens to get information on how the city is spending taxpayer money on park cre- ation and maintenance and for whom. “They don’t have an accounting of what PARKS PROCESS The process for how the city decides to spend park money is dominated by city staff and isn’t open or democratic, natural parks advocates com- plain. Citizens for a Natural Amazon have put forward an alternative design for a more natural park. The Battle for Amazon The city of Eugene and ball field advocates want to put two more soccer fields into Amazon Park in a wetland, but natural park advocates say Amazon has already suffered enough sports development. New parking lots, recreation centers, tennis courts, field lights, and the Amazon Parkway have all chipped away at the natural part of the park already, says Tom Pringle. “How much can this park take before it just collapses?” Sharon Blick, a local naturist who shows kids how to dip for fish and frogs in Amazon creek, says she fears that wildlife in the park is declining. “They need to do something to im- prove the habitat pretty soon.” Instead of spending $350,000 on the new fields and thousands more on ongoing mainte- nance, natural Amazon advocates say the city should restore the park and wetlands with native plants, trees and a meandering creek with islands and pedestrian, bike and jogging trails, bridges and boardwalks to enjoy nature in the heart of the city. But city park staff and sports advocates say they would rather spend the money to drain and fill the low-quality wetlands. “The need for fields now is bigger than ever,” Ultimate Frisbee player Corey Dingman said at a meeting last month. The park is already “pretty heavy on the natural side as compared to the active side.” But natural parks advocates strongly disagree. “Amazon park has already been overdevel- oped,” says south Eugene City Councilor Betty Taylor. “So much of it is concrete and buildings now,” she says. “There isn’t much left of Amazon Park that is natural.” People living near Amazon don’t want more intensive sports development, Taylor says. “When they talk about putting in a big ball field for the people in north Eugene, if they want to use it, maybe it should be out there.” — Alan Pittman DECEMBER 24, 2003 11
