This story came in part from notes taken by Paulina Castellanos Wade, a San Diego Documenter, at a Sweetwater Community Planning Group meeting earlier this month. The Documenters program trains and pays community members to document what happens at public meetings. It’s run by inewsource, a nonpartisan nonprofit newsroom dedicated to investigative and accountability journalism. Read more about the program here.
Rohr Park in Bonita is slated for remodeling, but what that means for the public could vary significantly.
The city of Chula Vista is weighing two different visions of what the park could look like. But before landing on a final plan by the end of the year, city leaders want the public’s input, said Frank Carson, the city’s parks and recreation director, at a Sweetwater Community Planning Group meeting earlier this month.
The city hopes to find funding through applying for future state and federal grants.
The “light touch” vision proposes improvements to existing amenities — solar lighting on paths, a community garden, drainage improvements and an increase in shrubbery and trees.
The other plan, “active community hub,” includes a menu of new recreation options for the park. For example, planners are weighing the addition of soccer fields, ball fields, a splash pad, an amphitheater, pickleball courts, tennis courts, a fitness station, an archery zone, a nature playground and a pump track.
Both options would involve expansion or enhancement to the existing sports fields, trees, trails, family gathering areas, parking and drainage features.
Some existing amenities of the park, like the sports fields, Rohr manor, playgrounds, dog park, mini railroad train and nearby golf course are likely set to stay but could also receive enhancements.
Outreach and public input
Whichever draft the city ends up leaning toward will rely heavily on community feedback that officials gathered through in-person events and online surveys.
“The strongest feedback we got was for upgrading and maintaining the walking trails … and how it would be best if we can make them ADA accessible for people with wheelchairs,” Carson said in an interview with inewsource.
Carson witnessed nearly a thousand people walk on the trail in a three hour period one morning. “You just have to be there to witness it and you’re like ‘Wow, there really are this many people,’” he said.
Public opinion is leaning slightly toward the more movement-heavy community hub but Carson said that there will be some tradeoffs. “We’ll have to do a blend between the two. We can’t do a park that’s overly active,” he said.
What comes next
The revamping of Rohr Park is still limited by the potential grant programs it receives. City officials say they’re not yet aware which grants they plan to apply for.
Give your thoughts
City of Chula Vista officials are seeking public feedback on two options for renovations at Rohr Park.
Take the city’s survey here by Sep. 26.
“All these amenities would cost money, so what can we really afford? I mean that’s the big part,” Carson told the Sweetwater planning group. “The city also has to invest in the golf course, as well, and that is going to be a separate function than all these amenities that we’re talking about here.”
Public feedback is still needed in order to determine which of the two drafts is preferred. The city’s survey is open until Sept. 26.
“I want the largest amount of community input that we can to actually have a plan that the community has a buy-in on, and that they want to own, too,” said Carson. “They will be our park guardians and want to preserve the park.”
Carson said once a plan is finalized this winter, the next step will be taking the draft to the City Council for a vote next year.
