Additional Information Regarding the Bayside Park Improvement Project

This post contains additional background information regarding the Bayside Park Improvement Project that was posted earlier. The following comments were submitted by the Coalition to the County Parks Commission for consideration at the hearing September 17, 2020 regarding the Bayside Park ADA improvement project. The presentation made to the County commission is posted at http://bit.ly/2OeeSNY

• Engagement: 
  • Have the residents in the Pt. San Pedro Road area community been given adequate advance notice of this meeting so that residents and park users are engaged and afforded a meaningful opportunity to comment?  To whom was the notice sent and when?
  • Have members of the disability community been afforded an opportunity to weigh in?  For example, were there site visits with staff that included individuals with disabilities?
  • Who  are the park users?  Has any attempt been made to determine who most often uses the park and to poll those users to discern what are the concerns of those park users?
    
• Planning:
  • Recognizing that this is an ADA project, it nonetheless offers an opportunity to examine the potential of this small park and to bring together stakeholders who can advance the stated goals, which are not only to rectify the existing conditions to adhere to accessibility laws, but also “To ensure that all Marin residents may enjoy this community resource.”   Have efforts been made to engage in a holistic and comprehensive planning efforts that consider not only the park, but traffic, and future sea level rise adaptations (for example)?  
    
• Views:  For residents concerned about potential adverse impacts from the siting and selection of trees currently proposed, what alternatives have been or will be considered?
  
• Safety/Access: 
  • The park is located at a dangerous intersection.  Due to the combination of limited visibility at the curve and the high speed of cars traveling down the hill on this stretch of the roadway, there have been many accidents over the years.  
  • A car could easily veer over the edge of the road into the park.   (Less than a  week ago, at another dangerous curve in the roadway close by, a driver veered off the road and into a home, causing serious damage—it was a miracle that the accident did not involve a fatality.)   At one time, there were trees planted as a barrier to help protect people who were in the park.  It is my understanding that some of the trees did not survive because they were hit by cars.  For the safety of all park users, some sort of barrier should be incorporated in this plan. 
  • Nearby residents, including those directly across the street, do not access the park due to the risks in accessing the park. It is extremely dangerous for pedestrians and bicyclist who cross Point San Pedro Road to access the park.  In addition, families with small children are fearful of using the park at all because there is no fence or barrier to prevent children from running into the roadway.
  • If safety improvements are not within the scope of the current project, but there are potential future improvements that may be within the scope, for example, as part of a Parks Department project, has an effort been made to ensure the current plans will not impede any potential safety and other improvements and can complement safety improvements?  

• Signage:
  • Can this project include more safety and warning signage?
  • Can the project also include ADA accessible interpretive signage for the nature and surroundings at the site? 

•  Additional Items:
  • Could the project Include a picnic table or two, perhaps one with a built in checkerboard and/or opportunity for exercise such as a small par course. 
  • Will the current plans allow for future improvements to the park to include something fun, whimsical and/or playful? Perhaps there could be a piece of public art or sculpture and/or a monkey bar?

Bonnie Marmor
Co-President
Pt. San Pedro Road Coalition