On July 30, 2005 the letter below was received by residents within 300 feet of the new park. In summary, Edison discovered that the high tension wires are too close to the ground in the south east corner of the park to allow public access to the area beneath them, and therefore that area will be fenced off. Because the planned pedestrian entrance would have to go through that area, it cannot exist as it was planned.
At the August 2nd meeting of the Parks and Recreation Commission, the commission was informed that city staff had changed their mind and were no longer requesting that the plan be changed. This is because there is still some hope that sometime in the future Edison will move the power lines higher and thus enable the original plan to be completed. By not changing the plan now, it would not have to be changed again if that happens.
Since then we have heard from Councilman Haderlein that plans are underway to move the pedestrian entrance 75 to 100 yards south on Avocado where the power lines are again high enough to allow public access beneath them. There will then be a path from that entrance north to the southern edge of the park. The plan is to have this ready in time for the park opening (which is more likely possible now that the opening has been delayed). Details of this entrance and path are not yet available.
Update Feb 27, 2006:
The pedestrian
entrance will temporarily be located at the intersection with Alameda
Street (where
the existing vehicle gates are). The path will then proceed
across the
Edison land using the existing City easement. Once the path gets
to the
City owned land west of the Edison wires, the path will proceed
north to the southern edge of the park. It is expected that as
the result of negotiations with Edison
involving the Ice Rink project the pedestrian
entrance will be moved further north on Avocado, probably to just south
of Del Vina Street.
Additional bits of information:
1. The problem lines are on the eastern set of towers. These towers are much further apart then the western towers and the lines dip much lower in between.
2. Edison could move the lines higher, and hasn't ruled out doing it, but currently has no plans or funding to do so.
3. Rough estimates show that any entrance further south on Avocado would likely have to be somewhere south of Del Vina Street. Probably south of the tower for the western set of lines.
4. As of early August the city still planned to put in the curb and gutter from the north side of Las Lunas to where the pedestrian entrance was supposed to be and possibly put in the street light which was to go at the entrance. It is possible that the money that would have been used for this will be redirected to construction of the new entrance further south and path from there to the park. In any case, as of early 2006 it does not appear that any street improvements will occur on Avocado.