Manzanita Park gets tagged in access battle

UPDATE 5.22.2015: Two recent tagging cases have fueled tension over access to Monterey County’s Manzanita Park. The posted picture here shows taggers hit an out building and the live on volunteer’s vehicle.

As I’ve reported some county residents want better access to the park during times when the North County Youth Recreation Association is not holding approved activities. As it stands now, the gates at the only paved entrance to the park remain locked unless the NCYRC approves of the activities on their ball fields.

Those seeking access, including equestrian groups, say the entrance gates are mostly locked making the park inaccessible to those with disabilities and equestrian requirements.

At this time, one meeting was held with all sides of the issue on April 30 including Supervisor John Phillips, NCYRA and equestrian groups. I’m told the meeting was positive and several ideas for better access were suggested. But those ideas will take time and research before a solution can be agreed on and implemented.

Steve Tansey with the NCYRA says perhaps charging a nominal fee may be the only solution to provide access and security. Much like is done at other county parks.

The county Board of Supervisors voted to have all sides come back by late summer to present to them a solution to the American’s with Disabilities access issue before they finally agree to any concessionaire’s agreement with the NCYRA.

The agreement that the county staff presented in April suggested a ‘live-on’ volunteer would be called by county staff to open the gate for legitimate ADA entrance requests. Otherwise the gated entrance would remain locked, as has been in the past.

This reporter wonders how this plan is truly ADA accessible. The Board of Supervisors has ask staff to determine if this plan is truly ADA accessible.

So we’ll see what the outcome is later this year.

UPDATE 4.21.2015: Public access for Manzanita Park is on hold again. 90 days turned into 120 days due to calendar issues. On Tuesday the Board of Supervisors considered a new proposed agreement between the county and the North County Youth Recreation association.

On the table, a new 10 year concessionaires agreement retroactive from 2011. The adjustments to the agreement were to address questions of access through a locked gate leading into the NCYRA ball fields that they’ve built and managed for years. The primary question: American’s with Disabilities compliant access.

Under the proposal considered Tuesday, two article adjustments. First, an item that stated the NCYRA would continue to manage the ball fields and keep the gate locked unless schedule events were going on at the park. And secondly, if a person with disabilities wanted access, they could call a number to county staff, who then would determine whether to call the live-on volunteer to open the gates.

Supervisors voted 4-1 to further determine if these articles actually were ADA compliant and to come back in 90 days with findings in this matter.

Individuals and groups are concerned that a public park should be open to the public, no holds barred. The NCYRA, is concerned for the security of their investments on the developed 50 acres of the 500 acre park. But access for the equestrian staging areas is behind the locked gates on a public park.

I’m told that Supervisor John Phillips is an equestrian and can sympathize with their plight, but he can also understand the benefits NCYRA brings to the county’s youth. So all parties will now be talking and the access issue will be discussed again by the supervisors in late August or early September, since the supervisors would like the County Parks Commission to review the agreement.

Stay tuned.

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Ever since the gates went in at the paved entrance to Manzanita Park on Castroville Boulevard, there’s been a public outcry for better access, especially for equestrians. Now after several years there may be resolution just a few months away.

The North County Youth Recreation Association has managed the gate for years. They’ve had a concessionaire’s agreement with the county and the group does open the gate only when the youth association has activities going at the park.

But that has left many without daily access and some say it’s a public safety issue, especially when equestrians have to park their rigs on Castroville Boulevard. And many say cars are continually vandalized when parked outside the locked gate.

Eve Norton is frustrated with the youth association. She calls it, “their little passive aggressive, you can leave but you can’t go in.” She calls the whole gate access issue ‘coo coo’ and she’s one of the victims of vandalism and theft from her car parked outside the locked gate.

The issue has been allowed to fester by Monterey County. The contract with the NCYRA has been up for over 3 years. Steve Tansey with NCYRA says he’s tried to get the concessionaire’s agreement renegotiated for 4 years with 4 different county parties with the parks department. Finally in the last few weeks Tansey says he’s reach an accord with Nick Chiulos, the interim Parks Director, and was hoping for status quo in a 10 year agreement.

But wait just a minute.

The limited access of a county park bought with the public’s money rubs several residents the wrong way. Why have these residents not been considered?

One resident and a member of the Monterey Bay Equestrians is Sidney Blankenship. She says this gate issue has plagued her and her group for 8 years or more, “The most frustrating thing is driving by and seeing the gates closed and we have to go up and park in Manzanita Circle a little up further up the road. I know the residents there don’t like it and I think it’s a safety issue.”

She also feels the locked gate and no daily access makes this an American’s With Disabilities access issue.

“Disabled people are not able to access the park when the gates are closed, to me that’s a big problem,” says Blankenship. “I think the county is supposed to represent the county taxpayers and the public and we want access to the park!”

While interviewing Blankenship, a surprise visitor pulled up. Dan Thompson with the youth association believes the public does have enough access, they just want to control the gate to protect their investment.

Says Thompson, “There’s 500 acres out there, there’s only 50 that we’ve developed for the youth. And so if it wasn’t for what we’ve developed the walking people wouldn’t be able to come up there and walk.”

Blankenship responds, “When you open the gate.”

“When we open the gate.” Thompson replied.

“And the people with the horses wouldn’t be able to come up. We’ve got a place up top for them,” said Thompson.

“Which we never get to use, because the gates are always locked,” replied Blankenship.

“Yea so, when the gates are open they get that access now. It would never have been there if it wasn’t for us, that we’ve given them already,” replied Thompson.

This battle for access has been at a stalemate for years, but it seems a resolution is near now that the American’s with Disabilities act has put the county on notice that they need to provide daily access to the public park.

Nick Chiulos says the county supervisors listened to the controversy from 20 people during their board meeting on December 16. “What the board directed us to do today, was to return in 90 days with a resolution of the ADA access issue, working in conjunction with the youth association to come to an agreement.” Chiulos says the board wants written into the contract with the youth association that the volunteer will be there to allow day access to the park.

The current negotiated agreement Chiulos presented to the Board had no such language and would have allowed access to Manzanita Park to continue as in the past for another 10 years.

Steve Tansey says his association has always worked with groups who wanted to have access to the park. Their concern has been vandalism and protecting their heritage at the park. The NCYRA is a non-profit group that does fund raisers with various shows, sports leagues and BMX tournaments at the park. The funds raised helps with costs at the park. Now the county has finally seen fit to balance the playing field, so to speak, at Manzanita Park and finally provide access, perhaps with a ‘live-on’ volunteer opening the gates daily for public access.

Interestingly, I spoke with current volunteer, John Zollos, who lives on the park property. He tells me, he’s fine with that agreement to be the one to open and close the park for public day use.

Time will tell. In this case 90 days. Stay tuned.

It’s easy to contact me by email: DearJon@KionRightNow.com. I’m also on Facebook at ‘Jon K Brent KION’ and Twitter ‘@DearJonKBrent’.