HomeMy WebLinkAbout2/4/2026 Item 4a, Pinard (8)
Margaret Pinard <mpinard2003@yahoo.com>
Sent:Thursday, January
To:Advisory Bodies
Subject:Comments for Feb 5th Parks & Rec Commission Meeting Agenda
Attachments:IMG_8098.JPG
To the Parks & Rec Advisory Committee Members,
I'd like to address an issue before you on Feb. 5th on the proposed changes to Emerson Park.
I grew up in the Old Town neighborhood, played H-O-R-S-E in the park as a kid with my dad, and
when I return to SLO twice a year, always make a point of visiting Emerson Park. My sisters in fact
attended Emerson School when it was still standing!
Whenever I visit, there are people out using the park, from the horseshoe pits to the newer exercise
equipment to the trees providing shady understory for picnics. I'm a walker, but I know there are dog
walkers that go through (I see the evidence), kids practicing sports, parents on the small playground,
and just people enjoying it as a third place, where you can be outside without paying for something. I
attach a photo of one such enchanting day from July 2025.
As I have observed the process to alter the park, it strikes me as underhanded to 1) try to get a grant
one way, be denied, then change the terms, reapply, and then push the new terms to the public to get
the grant money 2) misrepresent who was contacted for comment 3) side-step the wider
requirements for notifications for a change of this magnitude and 4) use external sources as support
for the proposed new use.
If you are going to allow the open field that is used by all to be converted to an encased, exclusive,
single-use dog park, you are depriving all of us of the chance to share the community resource. You
would dedicate the open part of the park to one subset of users--dog owners--who have other
dedicated spaces, and create a mud-hole that no longer allows for picnics, soccer practice, nature
appreciation, and yes, dog walking. Why is it necessary to cut off the access for all so that a few can
enjoy a greater privilege, while the many go without basic access?
Something to consider in this age of inequality.
Best,
Margaret Pinard
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