Just about no one is happy with Pogonip Park these days. The 640-acre park, the largest in the city, is a magnet for criminal activity, and one area, “Heroin Hill,” recently had to be closed off to limit crime there. Inevitably, fewer people are visiting the site, but that just makes it more amenable to criminal elements, so the city has decided to promote visits by building a new multipurpose trail there, for pedestrians, dog walkers, and cyclists.
Not everyone agrees, however. Some one hundred people gathered at the Harvey West Clubhouse last night for a public meeting about the proposed trail. Their responses to the trail were mixed. Some called the current situation deplorable, and demanded that something be done to reclaim the park. Others said that there is no evidence that adding new trails would push the drug dealers out, and that the proposed trail would detract from the park’s rustic setting. These opponents were especially critical of mountain bikers, who they deemed too “high impact” for the park.
The next step in the proposed trail will be an environmental impact review, to be paid for with Proposition H funding. If a trail is approved, a final design will be submitted to City Council. Supporters hope that this will happen as early as November.
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