Just like many other Peninsula cities, Mountain View is having trouble finding enough playing fields for all the youth and adult sports teams that want to practice and play in the city.
The shortage, or at least the perceived shortage, comes up every time a coach testifies that his players either have to practice on a postage-stamp-sized field, or must play late into the evening due to the lack of space.
Soccer leagues, Little Leagues, and now a handful of non-traditional team sports like lacrosse and rugby are pressing cities for more playing space. This push is coming from various organized leagues whose high-powered members may or may not be from the local community.
For example, of the 20 or so people who testified in favor of playing fields at the recent workshop about the future use of the Cuesta Park Annex, many were said to be Los Altos residents, whose town also suffers from a lack of playing fields. Regardless of hometowns, the Parks and Recreation Commission must have been impressed by the argument, as its two top choices for a Cuesta plan included significant space for fields. This was a change for the commission, which in prior votes had leaned much more toward preserving open space at the Annex.
As noted in this space before, turning any part of Cuesta over to playing fields is a mistake. We hope the city council will see the wisdom in preserving Cuesta’s few remaining stands of orchards, as well as a significant number of oaks and a good portion of unfettered open space.
In light of plans revealed this year to develop the Grant Road farm and possibly the Franzia property in the North Whisman area, it is more important than ever to preserve this land as it was before the hundreds of acres of farms and orchards were mowed down for housing and industry.
By doing so, Mountain View doesn’t have to turn its back on the sports teams. Luckily, there are still places where new fields can sprout, including a six-acre parcel on Shoreline Boulevard.
But these decisions should not be based on which interest group has the largest turnout at a hearing. It is long past time to update the city’s master recreation plan, a task which is underway now. A hearing was held Sept. 27, after the Voice went to press, to solicit suggestions from residents about their recreation needs for the next 10 to 20 years.
This is the process that should be used to determine the location and number of playing fields the city can provide in the years ahead. After extensive hearings and suggestions from residents, a new recreation plan will be written that could be adopted next year. These are the public hearings where the organizers of youth sports leagues should be making their case.
Clearly, no Peninsula city can offer unlimited playing field space. Those days are gone. This means that parents and coaches must recognize that they may have to ration playing time, and put a hold on the ever-increasing demand for field space. There is only so much a city can do, and we are fast approaching the limit.
