Pocket parks idea needs study

Porterville City Councilmember Brian Ward has proposed the city look very seriously at more pocket parks in the city, as well as possibly neighborhood city swimming pools.

While both ideas sound inviting, the city should take a very deep look at both and we do not feel the neighborhood swimming pool idea holds water.

The city has very few pocket parks and the only true pocket parks areis Lions Mini Parkon West Orange Street and the small park just west of Lowe’s along the Tule River Parkway. Fallen Heroes Park, while a small park, offers more than the average pocket park which is usually less than an acre in size with limited amenities.

We are not certain the pocket parks really serve a purpose because they do not allow for very many people at one time and they are limited in what they offer. While they do serve a few neighborhood kids, the larger parks draw many more visitors and can handle more people at a time. Plus, they offer much more in terms of features and space, such as the splash pad at Fallen Heroes Park or the picnic pavilions at Zalud and Veterans parks.

Before making a decision, we would encourage the city to study which parks get the most use and then determine which direction to go with the city’s next park.

As for neighborhood pools, they are very expensive to build and operate and we don’t see homeowners willing to pay for a neighborhood pool, which would leave the city footing the bill for years to come. A second city pool might be nice, but again, it will require a huge investment just to build a pool, then ongoing maintenance and staffing costs.

As we are certain Mr. Ward is thinking, we also see a few new residential developments in the city’s near future, so now is the time to consider the next steps in terms of parks. We commend Mr. Ward for bringing up the issue now as new developments begin to surface in the city.