By Ruth Longoria

Dozens of locals filled the City Hall council chambers Thursday evening to hear about,and provide a bit of input into plans for the boat dock and swimming areas at Luther Burbank Park. As part of the park’s Master Plan visioning process, consultants on the project, from the Berger Partnership landscaping architects, presented three possible options for developing the area to allow for use by boating enthusiasts and recreational boaters.

The Berger Partnership’s renderings of schematic approaches to the area mas met with a mixed review. There were multiple, strongly voiced opinions of residents — some opposed to what they were seeing in the architects’ drawings — as to what they’d like to see in the area.

The architects’ renderings included separate plans and dock designs for the area to accommodate either and/or motorized, human and wind-powered boats, private rowing clubs, as well as individuals who pay to store their canoes, kayaks or other non-motorized boats there.

Residents were divided between: those who wanted to see the area usable for both motorized and human powered boats; those who wanted to see the area developed for use by rowing clubs’ and individual residents’ use; those who wanted the boat area developed for use by residents with canoes, kayaks, sail boats and other non-motorized vessels; and, others who preferred the area be left as it is with only minor renovations.

“Luther Burbank Park doesn’t have to be the park that provides everything for everybody,” said Judith Roan, a 14-year-Island resident. “There are other areas that could be used by private rowing clubs and boaters.”

Islander Maretta Holden agrees. “This is the one place Islanders who don’t own property on the shoreline can walk along the waterfront without a lot of activity and development, so I’m philosophically opposed to doing too much with it,” Holden said after the meeting.

Myra Lupton said she’d like to see the Parks & Recreation Department develop an educational sailing program in the dock area for Island youths. “We have the water and the dock, it’s the simplest idea,” she said.

The meeting turned from simple to nasty at one point, when an Islander spoke up against what he considered the “negative opinions” of some outspoken Island residents. “It’s very unfair to constrict the use (for various types of boaters) based on Friends of Luther Burbank — it’s the same people I see down here all the time. They’re against everything,” Ron Stevenson said.

A few folks at the meeting advocated making the area useable for private rowing clubs. But others worried about parking problems associated with large groups of people. “We realize there’s a parking problem,” said Guy Michaelsen, the Berger Partnership’s principal landscape architect. Michaelsen added that parking plans will be discussed at future meetings about the Master Plan. But, parking concerns shouldn’t be the same with rowing clubs as other large activities, he said. “What we’re talking about with rowing is not peak time — they’d be there at 4:30 or 5 in the morning — you’re not going to have the same parking problem,” Michaelsen said.

Other issues discussed included trails and car access. Homer Lupton also presented information about a problem some might not have considered with additional boating activities at the dock area. “There’s an excessive amount of wave action at this area and a lesser amount by the swim area,” he said. “I moor about six docks down (South) from there and at some times you’d think you were a cork in the ocean.”

Residents will have more opportunities to discuss plans for various areas of the park during the Nov. 29 Town Meeting at Islander Middle School, as well as at upcoming small group sessions, which are all held at the City Hall council chambers. The design team will present the same proposal for the park at the Dec. 5 City Council meeting, as is presented at the Town Hall meeting, with minor tweaking from citizen input, Michaelsen said.

In addition to a shoreline restoration meeting held Monday night, (after the Reporter deadline), and sessions planned at 6:30 p.m., Thursday Nov. 17, to discuss connections to upper Luther Burbank Park, a small group meeting has been added Thursday (Nov. 17) from 10:30 a.m. to noon, to discuss children’s opportunities at the park.