Council Action on Cays Park

Submitted by Richard Tolles and Jennie Portelli

For those of us upset by the so-called “Preferred” Plan to redevelop Cays Park, you will be pleased to learn that the city council took a couple of welcome actions during its October 1, 2024 meeting. First, the council voted to preserve the existing length of the Cays Dog Park. In her most recent report, the City Manager Tina Friend summarized this development as follows: “The council…directed staff to modify the [Preferred Cays Park] plan to retain the existing length of the dog park, which will add about 50 feet to the design.” Dog Park users had requested the city preserve the length of the dog park to give dog owners the fullest opportunity to walk their pets along the park’s west wall. The council may have acted in response to hundreds of emails, a petition so requesting and repeated requests from dog park users during council meetings.

Second, the council also voted “to explore the location of the playground within the park,” again quoting Ms. Friend. This refers to the Preferred Plan’s proposal to move the children’s playground to the site of the Cays Park ball field, and to move the ball field to a different location without its existing clay infield, which would make the field useless. Finding another spot for the playground (or simply leaving the playground where it is on the east side of the park) would make it possible to save the ball field with its infield in its present location. The ball field is a much-loved park feature used by a senior softball group, as well as high schoolers and moms and dads with their younger kids. We will need to continue our campaign to save the ball field with letters and further appearances before the council!

Richard Tolles
Jennie Portelli
Coronado Residents