Waterworks park would be good for city

For over a year, Sustainable Saratoga has been promoting the idea of creating a small passive neighborhood park on the front lawn of the Excelsior Avenue City Waterworks Plant. We think it is critical to move ahead with developing this park now. We understand that the City will soon be constructing a security fence around the Waterworks Plant that will block public access to the front lawn. We hope the City will consider the benefits of creating a small park at this location.

The creation of a park at this particular location is desirable for several reasons:

• The Excelsior Avenue corridor is growing rapidly. There are over a thousand apartment dwellers in that area who could benefit from a small public park. It could be a passive place to sit with a place for kids to run around.

• The City Open Space Advisory Committee has advocated for the creation of more small neighborhood parks.

• The Waterworks Plant lies at the intersection of two legs of the Greenbelt Trail system, the Downtown Connector running along the valley and the Marion Avenue spur that will lead north to Daniels Road.

• The 2015 Comprehensive Plan calls for creative “placemaking” and the creation or preservation of civic space such as pocket parks.

• The lawn of the Waterworks Plant is underutilized public space. In these times of limited financial resources, it is more important than ever to pursue multiple uses for public properties.

We recently sent a letter to the City Council, requesting that they seek public input about the creation of this park and find a solution that will balance security and maintenance concerns with the public benefit of this park to area residents and workers. We propose that each concern could be addressed with targeted solutions that would still allow DPW to create a small gem of a public park. Sustainable Saratoga has offered the City our assistance in developing this pocket park, either by helping to raise money or by planting trees. If you support the establishment of parks like this, please consider speaking out in support of this Waterworks Plant park.

Art Holmberg Saratoga Springs The author is chairman of

Sustainable Saratoga.