Myrtletown’s residents sure could use a park

Humboldt County recently tried to sell a 6.74 acre “surplus” parcel of land at 2769 Lucas Street in Myrtletown with hopes to use the proceeds for affordable housing. There were no bids on this property and it has not sold yet. Quite a few people in Myrtletown were surprised by this and see it as a missed opportunity to dedicate some land for a neighborhood playground and park. When we have asked local officials about having a park in the past we have been told that counties don’t provide those services. Myrtletown does not a have a neighborhood playground and lacks a public park within reasonable walking distance for most. One solution to creating a park is if the Humboldt Community Services District

took on the role of parks and recreation for areas like Myrtletown, similar to the way McKinleyville Community Services District operates.

The Lucas Street property will likely be developed into low income housing, adding more people who won’t have a park or playground in the neighborhood unless we start to plan for it now. Communities benefit from public parks in countless ways and they help reduce many kinds of inequalities. Studies show that children who don’t have reasonable access to greenspace are more likely to develop psychiatric disorders, which is prevalent among the homeless.

I hope we can get a commitment or plan in place for playground/park in Myrtletown before there’s no more land available.

Dave Zdrazil, Myrtletown