There may be new soccer fields at Half Moon Bay Airport as well as within walking distance of Farallone View Elementary School.
Moss Beach may have its long coveted community center, Quarry Park may have an improved play area, and both Burnham Strip and Mirada Surf east of Highway 1 may contain turf areas for people to play on.
|
|
The problem is none of those projects is likely to happen anytime soon.
According to San Mateo County Supervisor Rich Gordon, who helped complete the seven-page parks plan, there is no money in the county's coffers to fund the projects.
The county is currently wrestling with a $24 million budget shortfall, and can't come up the $50,000 needed to put a tax measure in front of Midcoast voters - tax money to be used as funding for the $10 million park system.
San Mateo County is already being forced to slash jobs, social service programs and funding to public agencies because of the deficit.
That means the parks proposal - though it's taken almost a year to complete - will likely be moved to the back burner.
It just makes sense, said Gordon.
"How we will close a health clinic and at the same time fund an election for parks I don't know," he said.
The Board of Supervisors will continue to circulate the report among local agencies and request feedback.
So far, responses have arrived from Cabrillo Unified School District, Midcoast Community Council and the County Park and Recreation Commission, all of which reviewed the plan and were supportive, Gordon said.
The City of Half Moon Bay has not yet reviewed the matter. It is slated for the upcoming Feb. 3 meeting.
The report was created by a task force composed of Supervisor Gordon, Half Moon Bay City Councilmember Toni Taylor, Dwight Wilson, a trustee of Cabrillo Unified School District, Bern Smith of the County Park and Recreation Commission and Midcoast Community Councilmember Sandy Emerson.
It recommends a Midcoast Park and Recreation District be formed through LAFCo.
According to the plan, the additional parks would not financially impact the City of Half Moon Bay, though the city could be contracted by the county to provide park and recreation services.
Gordon said the plan is not dead, just most likely on hold for awhile.
"Once we get some feedback from the Half Moon Bay City Council we'll sit down and say OK, is there anyway to do this at this point," he added.
Upon hearing the county isn't likely to fund the project, Midcoast community councilmember Emerson said she was a bit disappointed but not at all surprised by the news.
"With this economic climate and parks and recreation being so underfunded at the county level already, in my opinion it may not be realistic to expect the county to do anything about parks on the Midcoast," she said.
But, Emerson added, the work was not done in vain.
"I think there's a definite need and tremendous support for parks on the Coastside," she said.
And that need won't go anywhere.
The report, regardless of whether it can be used at present, is a valuable roadmap for parks in the future, she said.
It pinpoints specific costs and parcel numbers and establishes a potential funding mechanism, which means, when the money is available, the plan can be revisited.
w