March 9 th, 2007

City kicks off master sports field study

By Eli Segall

The city kicked off its sports fields feasibility study Feb. 26 with a community meeting at Moreland West Community Center. More than 30 residents from across the city attended the meeting, hosted by San Jose Parks Department deputy director Cynthia Bojorquez.

The San Jose City Council approved the $165,000 plan to hire a consultant and seek community input on ways to better utilize field space within the city last December after Councilwoman Nancy Pyle proposed the idea.

Participants at last week's meeting were offered a chance to sign up for the study's five subcommittees, which will inventory existing facilities; identify partnerships or land acquisitions; inventory sports user groups; explore other cities' sports fields policies; and examine San Jose's current permitting and scheduling process.

Each committee has been assigned a city staff member who will serve as an adviser to the group.

"This is a good approach," said San Jose Parks Commission chairwoman Helen Chapman. "We need to see what we have now; it's something the parks commission has been asking for for years."

Chapman, who lives in the Rose Garden area, has heard some groups need a permit just to play Frisbee.

The city is also working with the San Jose Unified School District on a separate plan to jointly fund and operate community fields on school campuses.

For more information about the Sports Fields Feasibility Study, call Teri Allen at 408.793.5559.