Voter wrote on Oct 21, 2008 7:42 PM:I will be voting no for whomever votes in favor of the current regional sports complex. Encinitas should not be saddled with the construction and eternal maintenance costs for a park that will be used by all of North County. Mostly not be Encinitas resident. Vote accordingly. Vote out the bums.

Bruce wrote on Oct 21, 2008 8:18 PM:Houlihan saying she favors 3 fields when walking neighbborhoods.

Houlihan lost my vote the minute she rang my doorbell.

Cardiffian wrote on Oct 21, 2008 8:44 PM:Come on Voter - be honest. This park has been on Encintas residents wish list for over a decade. There are way more residents in Encinitas today than when the park was first envisioned. There is enough local need and demand for this park - it won't be used disproportionately by non-resident. If you don't like the park, fine, but don't be dishonest - it will be used mainly by residents. Oh, and frankly, some bums are worth keeping.

Reality wrote on Oct 21, 2008 9:23 PM:The plan as proposed is NOT a "regional sports park", but rather a Community Park. But it almost doesn't matter what happens tomorrow night as the City Council to be elected on November 04 will let the contracts, award the contracts, deal with the inevitable lawsuits, and finally construct the park. This Council, unless re-elected is irrelivant.

Ginger wrote on Oct 21, 2008 9:53 PM:It's time for new blood and fresh perspective. It's time for change.

Out with old and in with the new!

John E wrote on Oct 22, 2008 7:27 AM:There is a tenable middle ground in this debate. The park needs to be a good neighbor, and the park needs to serve youth athletics. We do not need an outdoor ampitheater, we do not need late-night light pollution from 90-foot-high poles, and we do not need to build 5 soccer fields in one spot. I like the proposal to build 3, perhaps 4, fields here and two fields elsewhere in the city. A daylighted creek, ala Cottonwood Creek Park, would be a great asset. The other benefit of scaling back the park development plans is that it will save the city much-needed money.

Zephon wrote on Oct 22, 2008 7:29 AM:This regional sports park is more for the people outside of Encinitas than in it. As witnessed by all the Carlsbad residents that came to speak up for the park at the last public meetings that were held. Why should we be paying $50 million in Encinitas tax dollars for a park for people coming from Carlsbad?

We already have enough soccer fields for the people that live in Encinitas. The Encinitas Soccer league, a private organization with no accountability to the citizens of Encinitas is pushing for this field - if they want public taxpayer money to support their program then they need to become accountable to the citizens. I want to see how much they pay their staff, where the money is spent and what are they doing to support the underprivileged and special needs children in Encinitas.

These private organizations like the Encinitas Soccer league need to become accountable and responsible for their actions if financed by the taxpayers!

Truth wrote on Oct 22, 2008 7:34 AM:The proposed plan by the workshops was not a Sports Park. The plan proposed by Jerome Stocks and James Bond is a Regional Sports Park. All Mr. Stocks and Bond do is borrow more money and get us in debt. Throw out the Bums!

Leucadian wrote on Oct 22, 2008 7:37 AM:I don't live in Cardiff but rather Leucadia. Karen Sawchenko lives in Carlsbad. She's not paying for dedicated sports fields that she gets to use but that I can't because they will be fenced and locked just as the ones at Leo Mullins, Lake Drive and Magdelana Ecke are fenced and can't be used by the general public. Everyone wants fields without lights that we can all use. After all we are all going to be paying for them. Well, not all, not Karen, she lives in Carlsbad.

More business for Me wrote on Oct 22, 2008 7:49 AM:After tonight, Jerome Stocks and Jim Bond will be the cause of yet another expensive senseless lawsuit against the City. Why are they pushing for a huge Regional Sports Complex in an existing Neighborhood? Scale it back to 3 soccer fields, avoid the lawsuite, and let’s get a community park built.

Jane wrote on Oct 22, 2008 8:12 AM:Encinitas Council should, at a minimum, honor the carefully considered decision of the Planning Commission. Hours of testimony were provided for THAT previous Planning Commission meeting. What was proven then, and this past Monday, by public speakers and volumes of documentary evidence is that a scaled back park, with limited lighting and NO artificial turf, would best meet the open space and recreational needs of the entire ENCINITAS community. Council knows that many of the pro sports league people speaking are from outside of Encinitas, mainly from Carlsbad. There are less than 20,000 local households that will be "on the hook" as taxpayers for this multi-million capital improvement project. There is no financial plan for the leagues, composed of youth from many cities, to help pay for infrastructure and maintenance, as they must now on the school fields they are using, and were when my daughters were younger.

Most youth soccer is played on half fields. I feel there should be three full sized fields, which would be six fields for youth soccer, and two or three baseball diamonds. That equals a minimum of eight "multi-use fields" for sports play.

Scaling back the park would solve some of the awful traffic, safety and lighting problems. It is NOT just the neighbors, as this article infers, that want to scale back the park. The over emphasis on sports fields does not take into account that only 17% of the population is in the age bracket to play youth sports.

My children played soccer. I saw many people testify, asking for the park to be scaled back, who have children who play sports, and who are NOT immediate neighbors. The General Plan does NOT require more sports fields. Recreational uses include Moonlight Beach, for example, all the beaches in Encinitas.

It seems crazy that the City is sitting in a "quasi judicial" capacity on this appeal that it had the Parks and Recreation Dept. bring forward. There are no checks and balances, no separation of power, and the Councilmembers and Parks and Recreation Commissioners who have sponsored sports teams, or on the Rotary Club, who sponsors tournament play have conflicts of interest, and are not objective. The Planning Commission was objective. Council appointed them. They spent hours reading and listening. Our Council should view those meetings as well, and read ALL the evidence before it makes a decision.

The current traffic circulation element was sent back to the consultant and the traffic commission to be updated when the General Plan is revised. No decision on streets so impacted by development, such as Santa Fe and Mackinnon should be made when no accurate traffic numbers can be provided for the EIR. Council should deny the appeals and uphold the Planning Commission's judicious decision.

I live in new Encinitas wrote on Oct 22, 2008 8:29 AM:and I don't want a facility as large as the one proposed. Traffic will be a nightmare, especially with what Scripps Hospital wants to do!! Santa Fe Drive and the Cardiff roads planned for access to the park are unable to take this additional traffic. Scale Back the Park! So all of Encinitas can enjoy it, not just those in recreational and competitive leagues!!

Why does the ESL wrote on Oct 22, 2008 8:32 AM:keep talking about the 60K they have to pay every year to use the school fields. Are they thinking that they won't pay anything to use these fields? I certainly don't want my tax dollars spent on maintenance fees for a park that they don't think they are going to contribute any money to! Especially when maintenance fees are expected to cost $500,000.00 a year!

Have you seen wrote on Oct 22, 2008 8:35 AM:the Lake Drive Sports fields when they have a tournament there? Cars filling the parking lot and the adjacent residential neighborhood and on their windows are written "Go Cerritos!!", " Go Whittier!!" I don't want to build a park and pay to maintain it for all of Southern California. Use some fields in Carlsbad, San Marcos, etc... where the sports groups say those cities have done such a wonderful job of building them. We have thousands visiting our beaches.....that's enough!!!

Cardiffian wrote on Oct 22, 2008 9:07 AM:Zephon, you have it all wrong. ESL is acountable. It is accountable to the public and to the IRS. I believe it is a non-profit, and as such, is required to make its tax returns and budgets available to the public. So quit being dishonest and throwing mud and get the returns and budgets and get answers to your questions. As for the "regional" aspect, again, you are woefully misinformed. The rec program is available to Encinitas residents, so you would be hard pressed to find kids from other cities palying on those teams. The competitive program is another story. It recruits from all over southern california. Just as there are Encinitas kids on non-encinitas teams as Surf, Nomads, Lightning, Arsenal, Strikers, there are kids from other area on Express (ESL). It's called sharing - it's something you learned in kindergarten. This also applies to baseball, softball, football, kids leagues, adult leagues, heck, there's a huge community out there of active, sports minded people who are desperate for fields. They pay plenty for your infrastructure, it's time to share and pony up your piece!

Opera wrote on Oct 22, 2008 9:08 AM:Dump underperforming Stocks and Junk Bonds. they are bad for the health of Encinitas!

Encinitas Dad wrote on Oct 22, 2008 9:38 AM:-Team sports for kids? Yes.
-More sports fields? Yes.
-Law suits and delays? No.
-Community park? Yes.
-Regional Sports Complex? No.
-Balance of active and passive use? Yes.
-90 foot lights in a neighborhood? No.
-Compromise? Yes.

Build it here. Build it now. Build it the way the community designed it during the community input sessions. Use the money saved to update and maintain school fields around town.

-Everybody wins? YES.

Just Say No wrote on Oct 22, 2008 9:50 AM:The proposed park is being shoved down the throats of Encinitas residents by the ESL -- special interest group. I live in Encinitas, unlike 50% of the ESL petitioners who submitted letters to the City requesting the fields. I play tennis and am teaching my kids to play but there are no available tennis courts. If this is truly a community park why isn't there tennis courts?

To Reality wrote on Oct 22, 2008 10:04 AM:Curious why you say the current plan is a Community Park.

According to the General Plan, Recreation Element, Page 26, figure 4, this site is designated a "Special Use Park" (i.e. regional sports park with a service radius within several hours of driving).

Don't make stuff up. Read.

Zephon wrote on Oct 22, 2008 11:07 AM:Cardiffian... If ESL is accountable and the books are open to the public then tell us how much they pay the staff and point me to where I can find the balance sheets for all their expenditures...

I am waiting.

Crestacian wrote on Oct 22, 2008 12:00 PM:When the city bought this land, our youngest was 14. Now he's 21. Our city has been paying taxes and numerous consultant fees on this land for 7 years, and probably will for another 3-5 before it can be used. I think that a deadline (2 years) should be put in place for resolution of this issue, and if that's not met, the land should be sold. A deadline will force decision making and consensus building. As it is, one group benefits by dragging this whole thing out as long as possible, while the other is unwilling to concede to a middle ground. The majority of us (those paying for all this) are caught in the middle.

And yes, the city (not Caltrans, not a devloper) has a responsibility to upgrade the streets leading into this park so that we can SAFELY walk or ride our bikes to this city park. Santa Fe Dr. in particular needs to be made safer and wide enough to accomodate ambulances between Lake and Crest Dr. during the inevitable traffic jams that will result from construction of this park and the Scripps expansion.

ParkForAll wrote on Oct 22, 2008 12:03 PM:Hall is NOT a "regional" park. The Lake field has 4 ball fields on 10 acres and isn't considered a "regional" park. The hall park proposes 5 fields on 44 acres! This is for encinitas children.

Cardiffian wrote on Oct 22, 2008 1:39 PM:Well Zephon,
Go to their website, get their phone number, and call them. Tell them that you are requesting this information pursuant to IRC Section 6104 which requires an organization to make its Forms 1023 (or 1024 if applicable), 990, and 990-T (501(c)(3)s only)
available for public inspection. They are asked on their tax return how these forms are made available, the choices being their own website, another's website, or by request. Their website claims they are non-profit so my assumption here is that they file the 990. You will find all the info you want in there. Oh, and this requirement is for EVERY non profit. Good luck.

Ol Encinitas wrote on Oct 22, 2008 2:09 PM:Stop the Regional Sports Complex with 90 feet lights and tourneys drawing crowds from all of southern CA. Scale back the park to 3 soccer fields with no tourneys or sue to make it happen. Thats the way it has to be.

Encinitas Voter wrote on Oct 22, 2008 2:11 PM:5 huge water consuming fields plus 3 more base ball fields is a Regional Sports Park.... Cut the fields in half and build the thing. Vote out James Bond and Jerome Stocks and lets build a park.

Cardiffian wrote on Oct 22, 2008 3:28 PM:Sorry folks, but the lights are required. If not, the fields are useless in the fall and winter since the sun sets soon after school lets out. What's wrong with lighted fields until 8PM? Seems reasonable to me. As for watering the fields, it will be done with recycled (purple pipes) water and will not be subject to the whims of the potable water issues. Currently there is an excess of recycled water being produced such that it's dumped in the ocean. So again, it's not a regional sports park - it will be used primarily by residents, it will not be a drain on the potable water system - it will use recycled water, and the lights are required but can be turned off at a reasonable hour.

Who is paying for this wrote on Oct 22, 2008 3:30 PM:We all are going to pay for this and I think it is ridiculous for you to expect us all to foot the bill for 2,000 or so in this city to play organized sports. Take your kids on a bike ride (but it's dangerous out there!) a walk, a swim at the beach. Go to the Library. We don't want any more debt!!! Don't you pay attention to what's happening! Those who say we want we want and have no means to pay for it is exactly why we are in this financial mess as a country!!

Hello wrote on Oct 22, 2008 3:33 PM:Can you spell D R O U G H T!!!

We can put up a plaque with Jerome, James and Dan's names on it somewhere else in this city, if that will make them happy! Someone said the other night at the council meeting for them to vote for the 5 fields and they would be heroes! They already think they are heroes in their own minds!!

Vote them OUT!!

Not just Cardiff Residents wrote on Oct 22, 2008 3:55 PM:disagree with the intense use planned for this park. Many people attended this meeting and asked that the Park be Scaled Back that were from Leucadia, New Encinitas and Old Encinitas. There is still plenty of land in Olivenhain, but like this location, the access is terrible!!! Where are the parks in that area of our city? Per the General Plan they should be evenly disbursed throughout the city. There are still lots of greenhouses in Leucadia, perhaps we can build a field or two there for these folks!
SCALE BACK THE PARK! By the way, I live in Village Park!

Cardiffian wrote on Oct 22, 2008 4:36 PM:Actually, alot of Cardiff residents agree with the park plan and want it built. These residents already surf, go for walks, enjoy the library, and ride their bike (some wearing spandex), and feel that the park would compliment these other activities very well! I live by the park, and I was part of the original community design group, and I have seen nothing or heard anything that would make me change my mind about building it. Build the park as originally planned now! Oh, did I mentioned the part about recycled water? Practically drought proof!

soccer fields forever wrote on Oct 22, 2008 6:08 PM:The problem with youth sports is that they are over-organized and way too competitive. Now our City is looking to fund a mega park so the soccer youth can compete in looks with other cities == they have fields, but they are not pretty enough! Is this the kids talking or the yuppie parents who put this country into debt? And, lighting the fields is adding insult to injury. Some of us enjoy the night sky and star gazing -- and at night, shouldn't kids be home doing homework and chores?

Nothing New In the Hood wrote on Oct 22, 2008 10:42 PM:Anybody taking bets win out there..I bet that Stocks, Bond and Dalager would oppose Houlihan and Barth, 3 to 2, in favor of the park. Unfortunately, it was even odds, and I made zippo. Guess there's always the Lotto. Could the three stooges be more united? Can't Dalager make a motion without it being typed up beforehand? Can't Stocks let council and staff interact without deferring to the City Attorney?

Zephon wrote on Oct 23, 2008 6:00 AM:I totally agree with Soccer Fields Forever above.

Cardiffian would want us to believe that just because an organization is non-profit that it is ethical and will spend our tax payer dollars wisely. I can point to many unethical non-profit organizations in history that basically fleeced the public. There needs to be a much greater transparency into ESL and accountability to the citizens before we fund them for millions of dollars.

What we need desperately are safer streets. So children can get out, walk the neighborhood and see their friends and go down to a park and play a game.

There is no reason for the Encinitas taxpayer to spend $50 million for SUV driving soccer moms from Carlsbad.

Cardiffian wrote on Oct 23, 2008 9:40 AM:Zephon, You are being disingenous - again! You asked a question about ESL - I pointed out where to get the info. I did not make any assertions as to the ethics of ESL. Your job was to call and get the info - did you? Or are you just throwing mud - again! Sure we need safer streets, but we need a place where kids can play too - and that involves structured play. I now realize that you have no opinion on the park - you just hate soccer generally and ESL specifically. You never mention baseball, or football, or lacross, or any of the other sports, so it's difficult to determine whether you're anti-soccer only, or anti-sport generally. How do you feel about surfing? Does your opinion change if it's a surf team? Sorry, but the days of unstructured kid activity are over - those days left us in the 80's when abductions and molestations appeared in the news with greater frequency. Nowadays, kids with alot of unstructured time to themselves are seen as potential drug abusers and delinquents. The council made the right decision last night - hooray!

maryann wrote on Nov 1, 2008 12:33 PM:Yes to the park with approved sports fields and lights going out at 9pm, 10pm on weekends. Please move if you don't want to live near a park that has been in the works for over 10 years. I live next to the park. I think the construction of the park is going to be louder than kids playing at the park. Also, please stop coming to my door all you NIMBY's. I want the park with the sports fields.