WESTMINSTER : Building a Park OKd Despite Fear of Gangs

Despite the concerns of residents that it might become a hangout for gangs, the City Council this week unanimously decided to build a park at a Southern California Edison right-of-way on Hoover and 21st streets.

The one-acre park on a former Christmas tree farm will be built with state money and is to be used mostly for picnics, walking, jogging and other forms of exercise. There will be a play area for preschool children but no restrooms, officials said.

Construction will begin this month and is expected to be completed in the spring.

Council members said the park must be built despite the fears of residents because it will send a message that the city is not intimidated by gangs.

“If we can’t build parks, we might as well hand over the city’s key to gang members,” said Councilwoman Charmayne S. Bohman, following a public hearing Tuesday.

About a dozen Iowa Street residents turned out at the hearing to protest the park.

“This is an invitation for trouble,” said Stacey Peterson, a mother of four, who said she is afraid for her children. “A park is a wonderful addition to the community, but not at this place and at this time.”

Peterson and more than 60 of her neighbors signed a petition opposing the park. They said that in addition to inviting gangs into the neighborhood, the park will increase traffic, noise, litter, graffiti, vandalism and possibly higher taxes to pay for its upkeep.

Mayor Charles V. Smith said that with the new park, the area would be more accessible to the police. “We’ll watch it very closely,” he said.

Penny Loomer, the city’s community services and recreation director, said the park is part of a greenbelt system on Edison right-of-way that the city developed in 1967.

Two other such parks--College Park and Palos Verdes Park--were built on land under Edison power lines to provide recreational facilities and a buffer for nearby residential areas, Loomer said.

The state has provided $222,000 to construct the park. The city has added more than $32,000 from its parks development fund to cover the construction cost, Loomer said.