Parks commish: Rengstorff treated like 'poor relative' Parks commish: Rengstorff treated like 'poor relative' (October 21, 2005)

By Jon Wiener

The city may already have decided to build a child care center in Rengstorff Park, but some neighbors haven't given up hope of stopping a project they believe will make open space in the crowded park even scarcer.

The issue has put the city council at odds with its own parks and recreation commission, and now some residents are beginning to complain that the park on the poor side of town is suffering from neglect.

"It's [treated] like the poor relative," said commissioner Ivan John.

John has been trying to generate interest in developing the eight lighted tennis courts in Rengstorff Park along the lines of the popular Cuesta Tennis Center, which has 12. This spring, the city spent months and tens of thousands of dollars talking about the contract of the Cuesta operator, a process that drew a barrage of letters and dozens of speakers at multiple public meetings.

Meanwhile, John's proposal has been delayed for at least another year due to concerns about staff availability.

"It you're going to give attention to Cuesta, why don't you give Rengstorff attention," John said.

A dozen neighbors of the park turned out at last week's city council meeting to echo those sentiments. Wearing yellow tags pinned to their lapels reading "Save Rengstorff Park," several residents of Parkview West Apartments said they had only learned of the project recently. They said the city failed to post notification in the affected area of the park or to get in touch with anyone from their complex.

Assistant city manager Nadine Levin said the city posted 1,800 notices about the project. Mayor Matt Neely defended his staff and pointed out that the recreation department has 20 employees at the community center in Rengstorff Park. His main frustration, he said, was that "we didn't get control of the spin."

Neely, who recently moved to the Cuesta Park neighborhood, lobbied hard for the child care center, which he saw as a way of meeting a crucial need in the Rengstorff neighborhood. At the time, only a few people were complaining that it would take up three quarters of an acre of park space.

"It was a tradeoff," Neely said.

At next Wednesday's meeting, the parks commission is expected to call for an expansion of Rengstorff Park to make up for the land lost to the center. In September, the city council dismissed an attempt by the commission to reconsider the location of the project, instead choosing an architect and a tenant for the building.

E-mail Jon Wiener at jwiener@mv-voice.com

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