SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO : Neighbors’ Park Plan Wins $20,000

A group of San Juan Creek neighbors who lobbied the City Council for a neighborhood park won a $20,000 allocation from the council this week for the project.

The council voted unanimously Tuesday night to direct the money toward the two-acre park project after residents of five housing tracts in the area said they would match it with $20,000 of their own.

“We allocated the money, but it won’t actually be spent unless the matching amount is produced by the neighborhood,” said Councilman Gary L. Hausdorfer.

The $40,000 will be considered start-up money since it will take an estimated $100,000 to finish the project, tentatively called Lacouague Park, according to the city staff. The park, to be located near the intersection of Camino Lacouague and San Juan Creek Road, will contain trails, gardens and a grassy area. The largest expense, however, will be for a playground estimated to cost about $30,000.

Dave Tall, a resident of the Hunters Creek neighborhood, said most of his neighbors were excited about the council action.

“That’s fantastic,” Tall said of the news. “We’ve been out circulating. We’ve already raised quite a bit of money, so we’re on the move.”

Pamela Murray, another Hunters Creek resident, said the group has cash and pledges of $17,000 and hopes to raise a total of $30,000 toward the project. Among the largest donors are Warmington Homes, which has pledged $5,000 with the possibility of $5,000 more, and San Juan Beautiful, which has pledged $2,000.

Many of the residents of Hunters Creek, as well as the Hidden Mountain, Hidden Valley, Rancho San Juan and the Warmington Homes neighborhoods, have chipped in $200 each, Murray said.

Sandy Weaver, a Rancho San Juan resident, expressed concerns about the project and asked the council not to allocate the money. Weaver, who lives a block from the area and presented a petition calling for the project to be delayed, said the acreage is already used by people strolling down to the creek.

Weaver added that many people in the area want to discourage public parking near the park and are trying to turn the land into a private park for the local residents only.

The council stipulated the money could be spent for a public park only.