COSTA MESA : Reservoir Work Stirs Dust, Neighbors’ Ire

Residents who live near Lindbergh Park don’t need to be told that change is coming.

They know it every time they step out of their homes to a fresh layer of dust, which settles every few days as workers complete construction of an 18-million-gallon reservoir next to the Orange Street park.

The reservoir project will increase the size of the park, providing residents with a large grassy field. The city also plans to make $40,000 worth of improvements at the park.

Most residents support the park expansion. They said it will provide needed recreational space in a district with few small neighborhood parks.

But they have expressed concerns about the noise and dust generated by the reservoir construction. Residents are also demanding a say in how the city will spend the money.

“We want to avoid spending a lot of money on (design) studies,” resident Michael Dunlevie said. “We want the money spent on the park.”

The underground reservoir is being built by the Mesa Consolidated Water District on about six acres of land on the old Lindbergh school site. The reservoir will be topped by a cement cover. The grassy field will be installed above the cover and will probably serve as a soccer field.

The addition of the field will increase the size of the park, which now consists of a small playground and some benches on about a half-acre plot of land.

Residents complained about the park’s condition at a public meeting last week. They said that some of the wood benches had decayed and that the swing set squeaked.

The city responded to the residents’ concerns by removing a bench, replacing one picnic table and greasing and oiling the swings, said Keith Van Holt, Costa Mesa’s director of community services.

The City Council recently allocated $40,000 to make various improvements to Lindbergh Park. Public meetings will be held later this year to decide how precisely to spend the money.

For now, Dunlevie and other residents are eagerly awaiting completion of the reservoir in May, 1995.

Residents sued the water district in 1991, contending the reservoir project would disrupt the neighborhood. In settling the case, the district agreed to a variety of mitigating factors, including limiting hours of construction.

Dunlevie said that he can see two large construction cranes from his back yard and that his patio furniture becomes covered with a layer of dust every few days.

“We’ll definitely be glad when this is over,” he said.