Residents oppose plan to pave park

Andrew Glazer

COSTA MESA -- Homeowners living near Fairview Park are taking a hard

stance against concrete.

Tim Cromwell, who owns a home on Swan Drive, which backs onto the park,

recently discovered the city planned to pave several of the park’s

bicycle and pedestrian trails with asphalt or concrete.

“I had no idea,” Cromwell said Friday, peering over a fence dividing his

swimming pool from a trail defining the park. “I didn’t bargain on

cyclists peering over my fence into my backyard.”

Cromwell, who bought his home in 1997, knocked on his neighbors’ doors

and found many who didn’t know about, and objected to, the city’s plans

for paving the park’s multipurpose trails. More than 100 residents,

equestrian enthusiasts and cross-country runners signed his petition

opposing the plan. Cromwell sent the petitions, along with a letter, to

the city last week.

But the city’s Public Services director, Bill Morris, said the plans for

paved pathways shouldn’t come as a surprise. The City Council approved

them in 1997.

“The plan went through after years and years of discussion,” he said. “We

gathered a lot of public input and gave notice before the City Council

approved it.”

Morris said the city’s parks department is raising money and plans to

begin renovating the sprawling park as soon as possible.

In addition to paving the trails, plans for the park include replacing

weeds with native plants and joining the park to a larger system of city

and county parks along the Santa Ana River to the ocean.

But Cromwell said Fairview Park’s attraction is that it’s relatively

wild, open and unplanned.

“This is very unique for Orange County,” he said. “We don’t want this to

turn into an Irvine-style park, with parking lots and pavement.”

Trena Tuppan, walking with her golden retriever and 9-year-old daughter

Carlee through the park Friday, echoed Cromwell’s sentiments.

“It’s like our backyard,” she said. “Big, open fields. The kids love

being able to feel the bumps on their bikes.”

She turned to Carlee and said: “Quick, let’s walk before it all gets

paved in!”