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Residents seeking signatures to put field use initiative on the ballot

By Shannon Burkey

When the Citizens for Parks Preservation formed in September, it had one goal in mind--to protect and preserve Saratoga's open parkland areas.

Now the group is working to let residents know about the "Saratoga Parks Preservation and Field Use Policy Initiative" that grew out of that goal. The group hopes to have the initiative on a ballot in the near future so all Saratogans can be involved in deciding how the city's parks will be used.

"What we found in talking to people about the initiative is that everybody agrees on the principles of the initiative, but there is disagreement with the mechanics," said group spokesman Marty Goldberg. "People feel that laws should be made by the vote of the people vs. by the vote of elected officials."

The group formed in January 2006 after the city council voted to put a full-sized soccer field in Kevin Moran Park. Those plans have since changed, but it was that initial vote that group members said left them feeling they were not being listened to when it came to making decisions on their neighborhoods and parks and forced them to try and do something to change the process.

Although the initiative was sparked by the decision at Kevin Moran Park, the group stresses the initiative is about all existing city parklands, not just the one.

"Saratoga's parks are among the city's most precious and irreplaceable public resources," the initiative states. "Protecting existing open park areas that support passive recreational activities such as walking and hiking, running and biking, picnicking, kite flying, horseback riding, bird watching or just simply sitting is therefore critical to preserving the health, safety, welfare and quality of life for Saratoga residents."

The group has six months to collect signatures from registered Saratoga voters, from the date the proposed initiative was filed in October. For the initiative to appear on the ballot in the next general election, signatures from 10 percent of the current registered Saratoga voters must be obtained. For a special election to be called, signatures from 15 percent of registered Saratoga voters must be collected.

"Right now we are in the midst of gathering signatures, and it seems to be going OK," said Goldberg. "I don't know how many we have in the number sense, but we are finding that many people are very passionate about the preservation of open space. When we tell them what we are doing, they sign up immediately."

In addition to preserving parklands, the initiative also contains a field-use policy that would help to regulate how and when sports fields in city parks are used and prioritize who gets to use the fields.

While the group is busy collecting signatures, Goldberg said this is the time for the city council to begin discussions on the principles behind the initiative and come up with guidelines on how to implement them when the initiative comes before them.

"The city council does not formally have to put anything about the initiative on the agenda until we present the signatures, then they are required to do it," Goldberg said. "We think it's a good idea to get a group together now, not to discuss the initiative but to discuss the principles and what we all want at the end of the day. This dialogue is not meant to preempt the initiative or mean that we are dropping it. The discussion can run in parallel."