By Brooklynn Wong
More community meetings regarding LARC Park have been announced, for May 2 and 4, with more information to come on the City of Cypress’ social media.
The approximately nine acres at the corner of Cerritos Avenue and Lexington Drive, donated to the city by the owners of the Los Alamitos Race Course, have generated some controversy. The city has held community meetings to get residents’ feedback, but some residents are still frustrated and feel as if the city is charging ahead despite their preferences.
Points of tension have been whether there will be soccer fields, whether they will be locked or open to all, and whether the fields will be made of real grass or turf, among others.
Though the park was not on the agenda for the April 22 City Council Meeting, some residents showed up to discuss it during oral communication.
Recreation and Community Services Director Cameron Harding has confirmed that at this point the plan is to build two athletic fields, that according to schematics, will likely make up a majority of the park, but the rest is still up in the air.
Harding emphasized that the fields will be general athletic fields, not specifically to be used for soccer.
Resident Ed Kraemer said it seemed that the city was moving forward with the fields “based on 200 people in a survey” and did not feel that it was based on a fair representation of all Cypress residents. Though he admits that this is likely wishful thinking, he said he would love to see the city “start over” and also comprehensively study the impact on traffic that the presence of athletic fields will have.
Resident Brittney Cook asked what the point was of the workshops and surveys if the people are not being listened to. She said it seems to her that residents are only “being given the illusion of having a choice.”
Later in the meeting, City Manager Peter Grant announced the two additional meetings, encouraged residents to follow city social media for forthcoming details, and said city staff “very much want[s] the community’s input.”
Resident George Pardon also recently met with Harding, and in an email to the Event-News Enterprise, said, “They are proceeding with the design of the 9-acre park with two athletic fields since the City Council hasn’t directed them to do otherwise,” and advised that he was told the city is proceeding with artificial turf fields, and that the two upcoming meetings are “set only to discuss the other amenities in the park, not the two athletic fields as those are a given.”
