Input Not Heeded by Parks and Recreation

* I am writing in response to the interview with Steven Soboroff, president of the Recreation and Parks Commission Dec. 20.

As a community activist I would like to say that Recreation and Parks Department has had the great good luck to have literally scores of us out here in the Valley who are interested participants, volunteers and donors in the Valley park matters but, unfortunately, have experienced constant rebuffs for our efforts.

Some years ago several of us spent all day long cleaning up as many parts of the Sepulveda Basin--which includes Woodley and Balboa Parks--as we could. We never got support from the parks. As a matter of fact, I have pleaded with the head of the Valley region to put trash barrels along the bike paths and throughout various parts of the parks where there are none and I was told, “Oh, ‘they’ll’ only steal them!”

I have been working for over a year and a half to get a dog park put in an area that would not impact wildlife habitat or people. Thirty-thousand dollars has been donated by a dog food company. I have more than 16 pages of signatures from citizens residing in this community who are in support of the dog park. I have letters in favor of this dog park from “dog people” and animal organizations from San Diego County to Fillmore. I have been put off over and over and over again. Twice the park “heads” picked sites that interfered with wildlife living in the area or landing nearby on migratory flights. The Valley region manager, Jim Andervich, refuses to approve a site that is in agreement with wildlife activists, environmentalists and members of the community because Andervich wants to put up buildings, one of which is a second golf clubhouse. At a recent hearing with the Parks Commission, Jackie Tatum, general manager of the Parks Department, told us that a dog park is “ . . . not the only item on their agenda,” and that further discussion is out. Steven Soboroff then referred us back to Andervich, who has been putting us off and refusing to cooperate with all of the representatives of the Sepulveda Basin as to the location of the site--and forbidding the installation of the site.

I have attended numerous meetings with park representatives regarding the dog park--and, along with Sepulveda Basin community members, have been constantly and continuously rebuffed. Mr. Soboroff says he welcomes suggestion and input and said, “anything is possible . . . “ But we have never, ever seen that.

VIVIAN SONTAG

Van Nuys