Should Golf Play Through? : County must carefully weigh changes at Mile Square Park

At Mile Square Regional Park in Fountain Valley, the question of the hour is: Will golf triumph over model planes?

The county and model enthusiasts have been at odds for some time over a plan to expand a golf course now at the park inside a central triangle area. The area contains the only airstrip for model planes in Orange County. The airfield supporters are not alone in the 137-acre area; archery, soccer and baseball also share the space.

Although plans call for eliminating the ball fields and the airstrip, the ball fields will be rebuilt in the 25 acres adjacent to the Fountain Valley Recreation Center, which is also in the park. Alas, the airstrip will not be relocated.

Model-plane enthusiasts shrewdly have recognized that they have a relatively small constituency so they have broadened their appeal. It’s an effort to cast the debate on the grounds of preserving a diversity of uses in the county park.

The county says it doesn’t make sense to curtail the development of the park for only a handful of users. Last month, the Board of Supervisors expressed sympathy with the hobbyists, but unanimously agreed that adding the golf holes would be a good idea. At issue is the renewal of the lease with Mile Square Partners, which has operated the Mile Square Golf Course at the park since 1968. Negotiations are supposed to be completed by Nov. 1.

The popularity of golf is undeniable. The county estimates that the golf course will pay the county $2.1 million a year. That kind of money is hard to turn down for a financially troubled county.

Golf courses operated on public land in Orange County have proved to be cash cows, given the exploding interest in the game, the lack of public facilities and the expense and difficulty gaining access to private clubs.

However, the diversity of uses argument is a powerful one. Even if the old fields will not be closed down until the new soccer and baseball fields are in place, there isn’t much consolation for the model enthusiasts, the archers and those who want to do other things in the affected space besides play golf.

The concept of a county park ought to include a willingness to foster a variety of uses to suit the broad public tastes for the great outdoors. The county somehow should provide for the other existing activities, and it ought to think long and hard about developing precious general parkland for exclusive purposes.