Bennett: Petaluma’s field of division

The city council’s vote to approve Basin Street Properties’ Riverfront development created some irritation and anger on the part of some of our citizens who labor hard on behalf of youth sports in this town.

I think their anger and irritation is misdirected.

The background is this: Basin Street proposes to build a comprehensive development on the south end of town, west of Lakeville. To be included are 300 homes, and Basin Street also proposed to construct a park for the neighbors to include playing fields. As part of the deal, Basin Street offered to let the park be used by the public, although Basin Street did offer to maintain the park itself. Part of that public offering was to allow youth sports groups to use the playing field.

Then our city hall parks folks figured “Hey, if they’ll go this far, let’s see if we can get them to put in an all-weather field,” the kind of surface most of us know as Astroturf. No fault to the parks people for trying, but Basin Street said no for several reasons, including the cost and need for replacement.

Plus Basin Street said that plastic grass didn’t match the amenity they were trying to create for the families in their soon-to-be-built neighborhood.

On the other hand, our local soccer teams, which do a lot of soccering in bad weather, have a need for all-weather fields.

So, when the project got to the city council, the debate ultimately hinged on whether or not Basin Street should be forced to install plastic grass as a condition for approval. Councilmember Teresa Barrett voted no, basically saying either artificial turf or nothing, so she voted that there should be nothing. A perfect example of the perfect being the enemy of the good. The other five council members and Mayor David Glass voted yes. But wait, there was method behind the mayor’s vote.

For years, Glass and Barrett have been allies, mostly voting in tandem and, recently, frequently on the short end of a 5-2 vote. This time, the mayor planned on some parliamentary maneuvering. He voted for the development, but only because you cannot ask for a revote on anything unless you have already voted yes. So he voted yes, and announced his intent to ask for reconsideration at the next council meeting, which was five weeks away.

Now, keep in mind that this is election season, and both Glass and Barrett are running for re-election. Five weeks away would be smack in the middle of election mania, and Glass apparently saw a way to drive a wedge between the majority (including his opponent for mayor) and the vast array of youth athletic groups in town, particularly soccer.

Four members of the majority instead sought a special meeting a week later, giving Glass little time to mount a grassroots counteroffensive. After two hours at that special meeting haggling over whether or not to reconsider, they didn’t, and the early approval of the Riverfront project stood.

Unfortunately, there are still those in the community, including a few soccer parents, who have written angry missives and launched some accusations against the majority, and that ill will is missing the point.

Without question, our youth sports need more and better facilities. Soccer leagues definitely need more all-weather fields. That does not, however, justify hijacking a neighborhood park in a new residential neighborhood to secure one more all-weather field.

One of the most outspoken and persistent voices in city hall in support of better athletic facilities for our young is Kathy Miller, a member of the council. She spoke eloquently for the reasons not to force an all-weather field in this development, and four other members agreed with her.

The fact is, the responsibility for getting our playing fields up to par rests with the city council, not developers. Realizing this, the majority of five supports the proposed sales tax increase, some of which could go to the woeful shortage of adequate playing fields.

Glass and Barrett oppose that particular ballot measure.

(Don Bennett, business writer and consultant, has been involved with city planning issues since the 1970s. His email address is dcbenn@aol.com.)