To the editor:
As a member of the Alta Canyon Recreation Board and Community Council, I would like to add some additional information to the Sandy park controversy, which seems to be an issue in the current mayoral race.Steve Newton was one of the leading figures in the creation and construction of the Alta Canyon recreation facilities which were mostly done during the Larry Smith administration. While Steve Newton played the leading role, it is also safe to say that the district could not have been created or even function without the city's help from Larry Smith.
Now, several years later, Steve Newton is also a major problem for the district as he has threatened that he has the power to dissolve it tomorrow. He changes the district budget without discussions with the board, and he has worked with the Legislature for a bill which would weaken the district's taxpayers control of how their taxes are spent. Perhaps the most offensive are his recent actions to unfairly distribute city park capital funds amongst quadrants and of ignoring quadrant leaders when determining new park projects in their area.
The city felt that they needed to move very quickly on this matter, and they were very upset with us for demanding a public hearing. It became apparent that the city didn't have an accurate inventory of existing park facilities or any established policy for allocating park funds that they could all agree on.
The mayor fought our efforts for increased public input in the process. The best that we could do was to get them to create a citizens' park committee with representatives from the entire city to develop a park plan.
The park committee never had a meeting before the city approved the construction of its next park project. I went before the City Council to request a meeting of the committee before the city acted. I was in favor of that park project, but if the city went ahead at this time, the city would be forced into a bond to acquire park land along the ski connect road which they were currently condemning.
At that council meeting, I proposed a pay-as-you-go plan; Sandy quadrant would still get the same parks and Alta Canyon would get closer to its fair share. Bell Canyon would get $180,000 instead of $55,000, and Crescent would get $280,000 instead of nothing. I was verbally thrown out of the meeting.
If Newton wanted to develop a fair park policy, there is no question in my mind that one would have been developed by now. Perhaps his definition of fair has become to do what he wants without any public input.
For this reason, it is important for everyone to understand that while Newton had a leading role in the construction of the parks during the Smith administration, he has a distorted view of future park allocation and has moved away from letting voters decide how parks should be built and designed.
Kent C. Jaffa
Member of the Alta Canyon Recreation
Board and Community Council