Costa Mesa to consider partial reopening of some city parks
Costa Mesa residents who’ve been missing out on regular exercise during the coronavirus pandemic could soon have reason to rejoice, as council members consider Tuesday ratifying a partial reopening of selected city parks and golf courses.
The panel will discuss implementing emergency proclamations made on April 28 by City Manager Lori Ann Farrell Harrison outlining the beginning of a phased reopening of certain park areas for walking and biking.
There will are some notable exclusions to the new rules — Fairview Park, along with the city’s skate park and dog park, are to remain closed.
Under the reopening plan, social distancing protocols would be imposed and visitors would have to wear face coverings at all times. Children under 2 and individuals with breathing difficulties would be exempt under the proposed ordinance.
“These partial reopenings will include mandatory safety measures to minimize the risk of further spread of COVID-19, while helping ameliorate the negative health consequences of diminished access to some parks, trails and golf courses,” staff said in a report for Tuesday’s agenda item.
The city is beginning a four-pronged ‘reStore Costa Mesa’ plan to aid businesses as the economy opens up statewide.
No gathering, stopping or picnicking would be allowed, and parking lots and other amenities would remain closed.
Some Costa Mesa recreational areas, with the exception of the city-owned Tennis Center, may also be included in the phased plan. Some shared spaces with Newport-Mesa Unified School District would also be excluded from the regulatory amendment.
Immediately following Farrell Harrison’s April 28 emergency proclamation, Costa Mesa Country Club reopened to walking play, after taking several additional safety precautions.
Golfers may not rent golf carts and are to provide their own clubs, carts, towels, coolers, sand bottles, tees, scorecards, pencils, ball markers and divot tools, according to guidelines provided by the city to commercial golf club managers.
Also Tuesday, Costa Mesa council members will examine whether to financially scale back on two prominent city projects — a redesign of the playground of Lions Park and a series of improvements to bicycle and pedestrian lanes along West 19th Street.
Work on the park playground project was bid at nearly $3.2 million and higher, but city officials will evaluate possibly rejecting all bids and downscaling the project with a $1-million cap. The bicycle lane project, meanwhile, could be postponed until 2021.
The two items are among $6 million in identified capital improvement projects being considered to help bridge between $10 million and $18.5 million in estimated budget shortfalls associated with the coronavirus pandemic for FY 2019-20, which ends June 30.
Costa Mesa budget and purchasing manager Carol Molina further estimated the next budget for Fiscal Year 2020-21 could be negatively impacted by anywhere from $13 million to $15 million.
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