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City asks its residents for input on park, trail
Creek Park redesigns county master plan
By Moryt Milo
Bird and dog lovers, fly-fishermen, joggers, cyclists and local residents using the Los Gatos Creek Park and its trail attended the first in a series of public meetings offered jointly by the city of Campbell, county of Santa Clara and the Santa Clara Valley Water District to voice their suggestions on a master plan proposal, Feb. 7, designed to enhance the park's usage.
The various local and county agencies want to redesign the park, which they claim is under-utilized and neglected.
The 40-acre park is the largest parcel of open space in Campbell and Los Gatos. It is a rare nature resource within crowded city limits and supports a large variety of wildlife and vegetation through the creek system, percolation ponds and nature trails.
Many of the residents view the park as a place that offers passive recreation. The trails are scenic and quiet, and users said the park offers a brief respite from their hectic day-to-day lifestyle.
Local residents attending the meeting said the park's serene setting was its biggest attribute, even though users agreed that the park was in need of a facelift.
"The passive nature of the park is what makes it valuable, and we should keep it in mind when considering its use," park user Des Wytman said.
Others, like Campbell resident Lisa Myers, an avid birder who taught beginning bird classes at the Campbell Community Center, said the park is teaming with bird life, which should be considered in the master plan.
"You can go to the park right now and see a variety of duck species that migrate here for the winter," she said. "This park is the southernmost point for many different ducks. At any one time during the year, the park will have 60 species of birds."
Preservation of bird life was a key issue. Residents told Reed Dillingham, owner of Dillingham Associates--a consultant and landscape architecture firm hired by the city of Campbell and Santa Clara County to develop a master plan that would improve public usability--that any changes to the recreational facilities needed to be done in a way that would not disturb the environment.
Residents were particularly concerned about the possibility of an off-leash dog area encroaching on the birds and scaring them or destroying their habitat.
But the city also received numerous emails from residents who wanted to see the park incorporate an off-leash area for dogs.
Los Gatos Wild Bird Center owner Freddy Howell said, as a dog owner, she didn't have a problem with an off-leash area as long as it's far away from the bird area. She wants to see a unified effort made to protect park wildlife.
Dillingham assured the standing-room only crowd that protection of the park's natural resources and management of the ponds, while enhancing the facilities, would all be taken into consideration.
Campbell Parks and Recreation Commissioner Al Lowder told The Campbell Reporter there is a big misconception that an off-leash dog park allows dogs to run anywhere, but off-leash areas are usually fenced in.
The proposed project is unusual in focus because it combines the efforts of the city of Campbell, Santa Clara County and Santa Clara Valley Water District. The percolation ponds on Dell and Hacienda avenues are located in Campbell, but the land is leased by the county and the property is owned by the water district.
The percolation ponds are also part of the county's groundwater storage supply. Water coming down from the Sacramento Delta River is recharged through the percolation ponds in the park. Percolation ponds are designed to add groundwater back into water storage facilities.
Campbell administrative analyst Zarka Popovic, who is helping to coordinate the city's involvement with the park's master plan, said percolation ponds are supposed to be scraped and cleaned on a regular basis. This is not done in Campbell, and several of the ponds leak into the creek.
Because these ponds are not in optimal condition, the county would like to find a way to make them more aesthetically appealing, Popovic said.
Another group, the fly-fishermen from the Flycasters Club, who use the fly-casting ponds on a daily basis, voiced a number of concerns.
The fly-fishing ponds are north of the Hacienda Avenue entrance, but the location of the ponds is often difficult to find because of limited signs.
Several club members suggested that better signage was needed to direct traffic to the fly-fishing ponds and throughout the park.
The bird watchers also said that signs identifying bird species and various types of vegetation would add interest and education to the facilities.
Several residents discussed ways to remove vegetation not native to the environment and said various grant options to re-vegetate the park with native plants were available.
Campbell resident Tony Yap said the fly-casters received 20 trees, which they planted throughout the park. But all of them died.
The last master plan was completed in 1974 by the water district, but most of the ideas were never developed, Popovic said.
"Here we are, 30 years later, and the county has never updated the park," Popovic said.
The new master plan is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2002, and during the process the city will be continually accepting community feedback either by email or phone. The city will also post updates on its website.
For the residents of Campbell and the West Valley, the process can only be as good as the input received by the community, Popovic said.
For more information or to voice an opinion on the master plan, contact Zarka Popovic at 408.866.2152 or zarka@cityofcampbell.com.
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Campbell, California
