Costa Mesa reopens some parks to active use, but visitors must keep it moving
The Costa Mesa City Council on Tuesday sanctioned reopening select city-owned parks to walkers and bicyclists, but visitors will be required to observe mandated coronavirus protocols and will not be able to sit, stop or gather with others.
The move comes as nearby cities of Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach and San Clemente this week began allowing restricted active recreational use of public spaces, with approval from the state.
Costa Mesa’s 200-acre Fairview Park, along with the city’s Skate Park and Bark Park, are to remain closed for the time being, though some Fairview trails will allow pass-through traffic. Park amenities, such as bathrooms, water fountains and playgrounds, will continue to stay closed.
Whether to allow socially distanced sitting or picnicking — a step beyond what county and state health officials recommend as parks, beaches and businesses across California embark on a phased reopening plan — drew a dividing line Tuesday between council members.
The county had 131 new cases and four deaths reported Wednesday, according to numbers from the Orange County Health Care Agency.
Councilman Allan Mansoor said he wanted to open park lands for regular use, trusting residents would comply with state mandates to maintain a 6-foot distance and wear facial coverings.
“It’s just ridiculous that the grass is closed,” he said.
Councilwoman Sandra Genis agreed being able to sit at a park and read would do a world of good for residents’ mental health.
“My goal would be to give people as much room as possible to be in the fresh air, to sit in the grass and to cool off,” she said.
Costa Mesa City Atty. Kim Barlow said allowing people to passively sit in parks could lead to dense gatherings, the likes of which have been observed and questioned at several Orange County beaches in recent weeks.
City officials said Costa Mesa is in Phase 1 of a four-step plan to reopen facilities and said Phase 2, which involves the opening of some lower-risk workplaces and expanded retail curbside pickups, could begin as soon as Friday.
The city is beginning a four-pronged ‘reStore Costa Mesa’ plan to aid businesses as the economy opens up statewide.
Mayor Katrina Foley said she understood how frustrating a phased reopening plan might be to people who have been shut indoors for the past seven weeks but urged patience.
“Let’s just get through Phase 1,” Foley said. “Let’s get the parks open so that people can at least walk through, ride through, bike through, stroll through — and then we’ll move into sitting reading a book or sitting on a blanket.”
Barlow said city staff would continue to seek guidance from state and county officials and were interested in examining every opportunity to move through the phases of the reopening plan.
“We’re moving as fast as we possibly can,” Barlow said.
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