HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-20-2016 Item 8, Evans (2)1
To:Gallagher, Carrie
Subject:RE: Laguna Lake
From: "Pete Evans" <
Date: Mon, Sep 19, 2016 at 8:18 PM -0700
Subject: Laguna Lake
To: "E-mail Council Website" <
Dear City Council,
I would like the Council to rationally discuss all options for the
lake.
I contest many of staff's standings on the various strategies of
rejuvenating this city resource. Some of my recommendations
will save time and money. Most of my suggestions (and those of
others) have been dismissed without serious consideration. The
supposed plan to dredge, dewater the material and haul it to
Cold Canyon does not make sense to many citizens if one
considers the ramifications.
I urge you to not just accept what the so called 'experts'
proclaim to you. Experts brought us the economy melt down.
Experts are often short sighted, not expert and not caring.
What we need here is creativity.
I feel we should:
Create one or more islands in the lake with the dredged
material. The islands will improve the visual aspects of the lake,
provide protected habitat for various critters and save a
fortune in treating the material.
Council Meeting: 09/20/2016
Item: 8
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Excess material could be placed onsite (staff has the position
the material could be hazardous if airborne after drying out
and trafficked). So bury it, plant on top of it or explore other
options. Staff has said the material is the same as the native
soil so why not simply have more native soil there? The terrain
of Laguna Lake park is boring beyond words, creating hillocks
and the like would improve the appearance.
Incorporate into the plan some user friendly facilities (archery
range, mountain bike course, small wall climbing course etc).
Dedicate an area for public art on a rotating basis with even an
area for children's art classes. Have a small sailing clubhouse
with little sailboats for lessons etc. I am the only one I have
ever seen sailing the lake! There is too little going on there.
There is talk of creating a walkway along the lake on the
peninsula of the lagoon. The lagoon is a fabulous wild sanctuary
partially hidden from the rest of the world. I hope any plan will
keep it wild and as natural as possible, keeping foot traffic
(with the usual trash, noise and other aspects of human
intervention) to a minimum. Allowing folks to walk along the lake
is good but I hope they will not have access to the lagoon other
than by watercraft. And any walking path should be as natural
as possible, not using concrete and other ugly big city materials.
A simple meandering crushed granite path is more than
adequate.
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Cost and creativity:
I have been told making islands would be troublesome because
the lake could 'waste them away' if not property created.
Maybe, maybe not. It is a pretty static lake, not exactly a
rushing torrent at any time. But nevertheless a foundation and
boundary of brick brack, rocks and other materials would
eliminate that.
We do not need a Taj Mahal of islands, just a piece of dirt
above water level! Maybe find a derelict sailboat and sink it in
the middle, the wildlife will flock to it. I don't suppose you can
imagine how charming that would be.
I had suggested (with no response) the city engage various
citizens, groups, Cal Poly, Cuesta and other forces of energy to
see if we could get new creative ideas and actual construction
help with this project. Engage your people, people! I can easily
see the various facilities needed at the lake capturing the
attention of community minded folks who are willing to lend a
hand. Have you ever thought of using local skills instead of
farming everything out to outside consultants? Construction
people for that, landscaping people for that, art people for art,
biodiversity people for that. Am I missing something? Isn't this
pretty basic thinking, pretty simple? Use the resources you
have, many of which could be almost free?
We built the homeless shelter under proper guidance, we can
fix the lake too.
Pete Evans
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SLO
If you wish to review my original note to staff it is copied
below.
Bob, some recollections of the meeting a week or so back with
the public at Laguna School.
The public meeting you called was after a key government
meeting about this issue-why is that?
At the outset of the public meeting you asked we pose no
questions for your 'around 45 minute presentation'. How are we
supposed to remember any key points for that long? I suppose
you knew some of the residents are at least middle aged with
the majority senior citizens- how come you never dimmed the
bright lights during the slide show? I have pretty good vision
and was up front, I could hardly make out some of the scenes
you were showing. I was surprised at the lack of sensitivity to
your audience.
The 'pre supposed facts' of the situation were rushed through
and presented as a given, most of the challenging comments
(including mine) seemed to be minimized. I speak mostly of the
Chromium content of the silt which you said is indigenous to the
area yet it must be dewatered and hauled off at great cost. A
geologist in the audience, Dave Romero and many others
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questioned this logic and especially the crushing cost of that.
Some suggestions would have prevented 'dusting' of the
dredged waste, some would have perhaps made 'de watering'
unnecessary and of course mine was the best of all, make
islands of the dredged material. That received no response
from you.
Islands would be fantastic. Protected habitat areas, 'targets'
for boaters and other recreational users, visual enhancement
and other benefits that ought to be seriously considered
despite any initial objections.
Dredged material will need NO further treatment, saving a
fortune and perhaps expediting the whole process. As I pointed
out in my remarks Tokyo Disneyland was built on a man made
island and similar artificial land mases have been created all
over the world-has the city explored this concept for our little
lake?
And there is great value even in considering keeping the
material on land, even if covered by a layer of 'safe' material so
that no chromium is wafted into the air by any future
disturbance. Aside from the obvious huge savings in cost,
traffic, damage to roads and impact on our county dump if we
have to truck the dredgings away I offer this perspective. The
park area is a vast plane, pretty boring. It would be benefited
by some contour, hillocks and the like. Maybe a small mountain
bike course or just walking areas with some actual interesting
contrasts in terrain. How about an archery range? Raised
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garden beds with showcase horticultural exhibitions or
biological exhibits. The options are almost unlimited. Are you
folks allowed any creativity or imagination down there at City
Hall?
Long ago (early '70s) there used to be impromptu outdoor
concerts there with hundreds of attendees. Unorganized,
unsanctioned, untroubled. Never any problems, just casual fun
for the masses. Of course the city has come to dislike any such
thing (having killed our famous Mardi Gras parade for no good
reason) but it does come to mind as there is a great hunger for
outdoor, casual events with little modern conveniences-a natural
thing.
There were no public comments about the so called boardwalk
along the peninsula of the lagoon. That lagoon is a treasure and
ought to be left to the wildlife and watercraft, in the wildest
state possible. I hope the boardwalk will not go into or be
visible from the lagoon. I sail in there and imagine I am in
another world far from the frantic lifestyle we all live. It is
'African Queen' territory in there and no sign of civilization is
evident! If a walking path or boardwalk is created I hope the
city can depart from the usual boring, modern, ultra organized
cement and quantified monstrosity-like-sidewalk I imagine is
being planned. It ought to retain some wildness and fit in with
the irregular terrain and ambience of the lake (no long straight
aways etc). At most it should be a rustic path of crushed road
base or other permeable material that reminds the traveler
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he/she is in nature and on a natural route perhaps beaten down
by a millennia of barefoot native walkers.
The launch ramp is poorly designed. Egads, whoever did that
was thinking of making the walking experience easy and safe
with no regard to the user friendliness for boat launching. A
quick look at the launch ramp at Morro Bay (despite the
deplorable lack of maintenance) will yield the essential
ingredients of a decent ramp (low walking portion with NO
railing so that ropes can be walked down with the launching and
one can easily go from the ramp to the walkway, necessary if
done single handed). And the dock should be extended a bit so
that sailing away does not leave one in the weeds at the bank. I
would love to meet with your ramp planner to give input so
whatever gets built will make sense.
A final note about costs and community involvement. There is a
striking lack of community (individual) involvement in many
affairs around here, that probably accounts for the stultifying
nature of many of our public places (too much concrete, massive
timbers, no soul). One diversion from that would be the public
garden near Parks and Rec. It is a wonderful and exciting
artistic affair because a number of individuals put their own
time and creativity into it in creating unique spaces. I
remember helping to build the homeless facilities on Prado Rd
whereby we were involved in many aspects. Can't that sort of
energy be involved with the Laguna Lake rejuvenation? Activate
the power of our citizens to plan, and sometimes build, the
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facilities we want/need. I know there are a pile of regulations
hampering any such notion but where there is a will there is a
way. For example, if making islands require some sort of
supporting structure maybe the community (ordinary folks,
businesses etc) would join up to help create that. Maybe Cal
Poly, with all its power, could do some projects there (engaging
their business, architectural, engineering and other depts for
special projects). Activate the Boy Scouts, churches, the Elks
and any other community minded people. A plaque (inside an
artistic kiosk) onshore could advertise the participants (no
large banners etc). Docks, a real beach, the peninsula walkway
and other people friendly facilities could be done by regular
folks with minimal city fiddling in our affairs. From the
testimony we heard at the meeting the city has been negligent
in managing this park for decades. The ridiculous amount of
money the city spent on the rest room a few years ago is but
one example of misplaced priorities and misappropriated funds.
Pete Evans