#84, January 9, 2002
It's 2002 ... 40 years since Lafferty Park was added to
Petaluma's General Plan, 38 years since it's been a part of Sonoma County's
General Plan. It was 10 years ago that the City of Petaluma began trying to
make the plan a reality. And it's been a year since I predicted Lafferty Park
would open by the end of 2001. Oops!
Well, part of my prediction came true. Last January I wrote,
"after the 2000 election, Lafferty stopped being a political
football." Indeed, after several unanimous votes of support from the
Petaluma Planning and Parks Commissions, the City Council in October certified
the final environmental impact report. By unanimous vote! Even Councilmember
Mike O'Brien, who had been highly critical of Lafferty during his campaign,
expressed a change of heart.
With this kind of unanimity within the city, what happened?
I wasn't surprised that Peter Pfendler's SMC continued their effort to kill
Lafferty Park while feigning innocence. The highlight of their charade was
reached at the October council meeting, when an SMC lawyer was asked if the SMC
would initiate litigation should the city try to open the park. The lawyer,
with a straight face, replied that he and his clients "had not discussed
the matter." What an insult to the City Council and citizens of our
community!
But I was expecting support from the county, expecting
they'd abide by their plans. Not only has Lafferty Park been in their General
Plan since 1964, but it sits in the middle of the County Open Space District's
largest priority greenbelt and priority recreation zones. Then there is the
county's 1970 "Preliminary Recreational Use Report for the Lafferty Ranch
Property," which concludes that acquisition of "the proposed Lafferty
Ranch Park Site be ... highest priority in the county program." The report
goes on to say, "The location of the site would be directly beneficial to
the people of the Petaluma area and the size and the character of the site
would invite county-wide, regional use."
BFO! (Blinding Flash of the Obvious): Petalumans are county
residents and Lafferty Park is a county park! It's in our county plans, it's
within an easy drive of the majority of the county's residents. It will be open
to everyone. Get it? Lafferty Park: owned by the city, used by the county.
That's why I was shocked when, last March, the supervisors
basically told the city, "it's your park, you widen the road or we'll sue
you." This delayed the city's approval of the EIR by another seven months
adding at least $20,000 to the city's tab. Then, after county staff during
those seven months failed to cooperate with the city in reaching a road
agreement, the supervisors repeated the threat, emulating the tactics of the
SMC by faxing it to the city just a few hours before the council met to approve
the EIR.
BFO No. 2: the city has done more than its fair share - it's
time for the supervisors to give Petaluma a helping hand, and do their fair
share toward opening this city-owned county park. Step one: drop their double
standard for roads. At Fitzpatrick Lane, a narrow twisting county road serving
a recently opened nature park (funded by the OSD!), the county has nothing more
than a sign reading "One-lane winding road, 15 mph." Or look at Los
Alamos Road serving Hood Mountain County Park. That's a scary road! At
Lafferty, additional signs posting single lanes and lower speed limits, and
perhaps some carefully placed speed humps, are all that's needed (beyond
routine maintenance.) Step two: expedite the approval of OSD purchase of
Lafferty's development rights, which will preserve this irreplaceable open
space park.
To dramatize our long uphill struggle for Lafferty Park, Friends of Lafferty Park is sponsoring the first "Walk to the Park" this Sunday. We'll be leaving Putnam Plaza at 10:30 a.m., or you can join us along the way, as we walk to the (locked) Lafferty Park gate. For details, see http://www.laffertyranch.org/events.htm. Call 778-0629 to RSVP. County supervisors, you're welcome to join us, and help us take the last step to Lafferty Park.