LETTER TO EDITOR: Fence At Wildomar's Windsong Park Will Need To Go

The following letter to the editor was submitted by Wildomar resident Jon Laskin. The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily shared by Patch or its employees:

At least one long-time local resident and his family are concerned that, in their opinion, the City of Wildomar is considering changing the fundamental design of Windsong Park by allowing the construction fence that was installed on the street side as a way to close the Park to the public, to remain up after the park reopens.  

“I think that this is wrong, ugly, and takes away from the sense of Public Open Space that we voted for in supporting local parks and public open spaces,” expressed Jon Laskin, a resident of Windsong Valley. “Also, because this park is so small, I think that it could become dangerous if anyone was having a picnic with their kids playing on the equipment or playing basketball, let alone walking your dog on a leash, while any of the dogs running loose in the area get inside and the only way out has been fenced in."

In Laskin’s opinion, Wildomar’s Windsong Valley community was planned with such attention to beauty and esthetics in making this a desirable place to live and raise a family that they went to the extent to bury all the service lines.  

“I love that but, this unsightly construction fence contradicts this beautiful planned community,” Laskin said. "I just spoke with [a neighbor], whose property is adjacent to the park. He bought in 1998, a period when the park was closed, but not fenced in on the street side at the time and it was obviously a public community park that one would reasonably expect to reopen in time. I feel for him as he has had negative encounters with people that abuse the park and his concern is in keeping the park closed, when it is supposed to be closed, under the premise that when needed, local police response time is upwards of 2 1/2 hours.  However, this fence was never a part of the design of this park and leaving it up would fundamentally change that design that encourages a feeling of Open Space…. A Public Open Space.  Leaving the security fence up, that was only installed to close the park, would effectively create a new, Public Closed Space.”

Laskin suggests that the community focus more on quicker response time when needed, rather than security fencing enclosing our public parks where none have previously existed.

This issue [is expected to] come before the City of Wildomar [Parks Subcommittee] on Tuesday Jan. 21 at 6:30 p.m.  What do you think?  If you are against leaving the fence up, that was meant to close the park please email Bridgette Moore: bmoore@cityofwildomar.org and/or go to the meeting and express your concern.