New park needs naming

Deepa Bharath

Ever thought you could come up with a spectacular name for a park, if

only you were given a chance?

Well, here it is.

The city’s Parks, Beaches and Recreation Commission is asking

residents to flex their creative muscles to come up with a name for a

brand new park at the corner of Coast Highway and Jamboree Road.

The park will be ready in October 2005 along with an

affordable-housing complex for seniors in the same lot, owned by the

Irvine Co., said Marie Knight, the city’s Recreation and Senior

Services director.

The park will be above the homes, she said.

“It’s really not meant to be a park with active programming,”

Knight said. “It has a beautiful view of the surrounding areas as it

overlooks the Back Bay. So we’ll have bike trails and benches and

seating areas from where people can enjoy the view.”

The park will be 10 acres set at an elevation of 50 to 100 feet,

Knight said.

“We encourage residents to delve into the history and significance

of the area while coming up with a name,” Knight said, referring to a

Boy Scout jamboree held there in 1953, when close to 51,000 scouts

from 48 states and 17 countries congregated.

The week-long event was so huge that the area had its own post

office, petting zoo and telephone exchange.

It’s also how Jamboree Road first came to be and got its name. The

road was carved out to create an access route for the scouts.

The other approach would be to think about the Native American

tribes that were once in the area, Knight said.

The park will be landscaped using native plants and grasses and

will include almost two acres of coastal sage habitat and wetland

restoration, she said.

“This is a unique opportunity for residents to connect with the

community and be a part of a highly visible project,” Knight said.

Construction of the park is about 50% completed, said Robert

Masters, senior construction inspector and city archeologist.

“We’re adding boulders for emphasis and putting in a bike path

that connects with the path from the Back Bay, which is interesting,”

he said.

The park is being referred to as Bayview Landing Park, but the

entrance will remain nameless until the commission makes its final

recommendation, Masters said.

Deadline for submission is 5 p.m. Nov. 9. Suggestions will be

reviewed by the Parks, Beaches and Recreation Commission at its Nov.

16 meeting. The commission is expected to make a recommendation to

the City Council in December.

* DEEPA BHARATH is the enterprise and general assignment reporter.

She may be reached at (714) 966-4625 or by e-mail at

[email protected].