The last-minute meeting that took place last week about Trancas Park was a true example of unity and cooperation. We all should be celebrating. The ridge was spared and so was the park! Unfortunately, there is still a small faction of opponents who continue to oppose the park. It is hard to believe.
The city has gone out of its way to appease these folks who have played on the council’s and community’s heartstrings about the ridge and one bat cave. The city staff worked around the clock last week to offer a change of the plans that eliminated grading the ridgeline (not an easy task). Everyone had to compromise. The dog-lovers agreed to cut the dog park almost in half, the family stakeholders agreed to shrink the picnic area and lose shade structures. Sadly, that’s not good enough for those people who hid behind the “Save the Ridge” campaign to try to stop any park from being built. Now they are threatening lawsuits because they do not want a park at all. How incredibly selfish and what an insult to all the residents who worked so hard to make this park a reality, not to mention the city staff and council who have gone beyond the call of duty to listen to and act on behalf of these people when they did not have to.
This ingratitude is also a slap in the face to all the taxpayers who paid to design and build this park. It is apparent that these NIMBY opponents went around asking everyone to compromise, and when everyone did, they still are not satisfied. But I believe the most disrespectful aspect is thinking of the family that donated the land for a recreational park and the other Malibu West family whose son was killed in Vietnam and had hoped that this park, which was once named for their son, would be “dedicated to the memory of all the American men and women who have died in defense of their country.” How can these opponents of the park look themselves in the mirror?
Valerie Titus-Parker