The city of Lakeport contracted with Irwin, of the firm National Grant Services, to write a grant to fund park projects including Westside Community Park, and he spoke to a committee of volunteers and community members at a public input meeting last Wednesday evening at Lakeport City Hall.
The grants would come through a competitive statewide park program funded through Proposition 84, as Lake County News has reported. Irwin is confident that he will be able to win money for the project.
“I have written 55 grants and won 47 of them,” he said.
Although it was a public input meeting, only two of 13 people who attended were private citizens. One man was a dog park enthusiast and the other was a woman who had coached softball and was interested in the softball fields.
The other attendees included members from the city's Parks and Recreation Commission, the Lakeport City Council, city staff, park maintenance and RB Peters, the business that has built the park thus far.
The committee announced some changes. The privately owned land that was adjacent to the parking lot and horse arena will now be incorporated into the park and will most likely be more playing field space, said Dennis Rollins, chairperson on the committee.
He also added that some current areas may be expanded as well.
Also, the committee reported that the proposed area for a dog park from Phase I is now a catch basin for runoff from the park. The area that is currently a dog park is on city-owned property that is not included in the park’s plan, but will continue to be a dog park for the foreseeable future.
The committee still wants to find other ways to upgrade the dog park since the grant money cannot be used for it.
Once the meeting was open for comments, some new ideas for generating revenue came to the table. Using solar power to offset electricity costs was such an idea.
One idea that proved controversial was a concession structure of some kind. Park committee member Charlie Jolin, a dedicated and longtime member, felt that a concession stand might infringe on the potential profits that the local businesses could make during big tournaments when the playing fields are rented out.
Another issue discussed was allowing the fences to be sold as spots for advertising banners. One nature lover in the audience said people go to a park to get away from being bombarded by thinks like advertisements.
More pure community input is needed so the committee encourages interested citizens to attend the next public input meeting which will be at the City Hall in Lakeport on Monday, March 1.
“This is your park,” said Irwin. “When we build a park, it’s forever, for generation after generation.”
For more information and to see a layout map of the Westside Community Park Master Plan, visit www.cityoflakeport.com/departments/home.aspx?deptID=85 .
E-mail Tera deVroede at
How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
