I visited Santa Ana’s Santiago Park again this weekend, on Sunday, Feb. 14. I wanted to see if indeed the brush had been cleared. It was also my intention to follow up on what Santa Ana Police Department Chief Paul Walters told me last week, about his department’s increased effort to arrest perpetrators of lewd conduct.
On the positive side, the wildflowers are blooming. And yes, much of the shrubbery and trash has been cleared. And while I was there I observed a Santa Ana park ranger, checking the area.
On the negative side, I was aghast at the explosion in graffiti at the park. You will see all of that in the slide show above. I also found numerous condom wrappers. How long they have been there is a mystery, but they were on the south side of the river, not far from the eastern playground at the park.
| From Santiago Park |
I also found numerous fetid pools of water, and the hiking trail south of the tennis courts was almost intraversible. There were deep ruts, likely caused by a City maintenance truck or a contractor. The ruts were filled with muddy water. These fetid pools can cause an increase in the mosquito population, spreading disease such as the West Nile Flu.
| From Santiago Park |
I also took a close look at a few city properties within the park that are grossly under-used. The Lawn Bowling Center is a prime example of this. It is an immense tract of two fields and a gigantic clubhouse. It appears to be barely used. I have seen folks using it at times. They are all elderly and white. Do these people even live in town?
| From Santiago Park |
Santa Ana is the youngest city in Orange County, which is to say that we have more kids under 18 than any other city in our County. We are woefully short on park space. Should we really be using this area for an anachronistic sport that most folks in town have never heard of? Seems like a waste. Shouldn’t we look at adding more soccer fields or baseball diamonds? Or handball or basketball courts?
| From Santiago Park |
There is also a beautiful Nature Center that was never completed. The City ran out of money. The building is done, but is still surrounded by temporary fencing. It is a sad sight.
On a more positive note, the giant slides on the east side of the compound, by the police dog training facility, are in great shape. They are a lot of fun!
| From Santiago Park |
The City also maintains an archery range that is a neat idea but is also barely utilized.
I think a bmx bike area or a skate park would have been preferable to the barricaded Nature Center.
Part of the problem is that there is a development committee at this park that does not answer to the local residents. It is chaired by Don Cribb, a resident who also maintains a home in Culver City. He is usually not home in Santa Ana. He has no kids and his ideas are not friendly to families.
| From Santiago Park |
I have heard Cribb advocate for smaller picnic tables, which is ridiculous. We need more family sized tables, if anything. He also pushed for the stone monuments you will see in the slide show above. I always thought those were a waste of money and an invitation to taggers to have a field day.
If this committee is still in existence, we need to make sure that families are represented and that Latinos are on the committee as well. This is a great park, but there is much to be done yet. In particular it is sad to see all the graffiti, and to see so many resources go under-utilized.
| From Santiago Park |
And we obviously still have a problem with lewd conduct at the park. I am going to write to the City Council tonight and urge them to consider my proposal to install lights with motion detectors, along the northern bike trail; security cameras; and signage indicating that lewd conduct is illegal and won’t be tolerated in our park.
I encourage you, our readers, to do the same. Click here to contact the Santa Ana City Council. Click here to contact Councilman Carlos Bustamante, who represents the Santiago Park area. You can contact City Manager Dave Ream’s assistant, Mark Lawrence, at MLawrence@santa-ana.org.
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I don't want to foot the bill for the incredible amount of insurance and liability a skate park would incur. That would just open the personal injury suit floodgates to whoever wanted.to make a quick million and instead of pervs you'd have ambulance chasing attorneys lurking about. (I'm undecided as to which is worse.) I have two more observances: 1. It is a natural retreat of an island in a vast asphalt and concrete region. Nothing will change that fact but over use will negatively affect its health. 2. There isn't enough room for one soccer field and accommodating parking let alone the rest of the grandiose delusions spewed out in the previous posts. Let it be.