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Foothills Sentry


ers, bikers, joggers, dog walk- ers and equestrians, the 354-acre park is suffering from overuse. Today, much of the park’s vegeta- tion is trampled, its habitat threat- ened, hillside trails eroded and rutted. Former single-track trails are now four to five feet wide, enlarged by the steady advance of boots, sneakers, wheels and hooves. The parking lot is full to capacity every weekend and often on weekdays, too. “Peters Canyon is being loved


A surge in usage at Peters Can-


yon Regional Park in East Orange has prompted OC Parks to under- take a long-term development


plan for the operation and mainte- nance of the popular recreational facility. A favored destination for hik-


Killefer site takes small The State Historical Resources


Commission recommended that the 74-year-old Killefer School building be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. That recommendation now goes to the National Park Service, which will make the final ruling. Historic status for the building


was sought by the Orange Old Towne Preservation Association (OTPA), due to its Spanish Re- vival architecture and cultural significance. Killefer is celebrat- ed as the first school in California to voluntarily desegregate, and did so before state law required it in 1944. Owned by the Orange Uni-


fied School District, the 1.7-acre property was declared surplus 10 years ago, and sold to a developer last year. That developer pulled out of the deal when it learned of OTPA’s quest for historic status. A second developer has the prop- erty in a 480-day escrow, and has not indicated what it will do if the Park Service approves the listing. The nine-member State His- torical Resource Commission,


Measure M keeps its promise


The Measure M Taxpayer


Oversight Committee has deter- mined that, for the 24th consecu- tive year, Measure M is being delivered as promised to Orange County voters. The committee found that Orange County Trans- portation Authority is proceeding in accordance with ordinances that were approved by voters first in 1990, and renewed in 2006. The original Measure M half-


cent sales tax accounted for more than $4 billion worth of transpor- tation improvements, that have been made throughout the county. The improvements include wid- ened streets, synchronized sig- nals, upgrades to intersections and every freeway. The 11-member oversight com-


mittee monitors the use of fund- ing and approves all changes to the plan. Annual public hearings explore the expenditure of funds generated by the measure. Renewed by 70 percent of vot-


ers in 2006, Measure M is expect- ed to generate nearly $16 billion to fund transportation improve- ments through 2041. Freeways will receive 43 percent of the total, which includes funding for environmental programs that pre- serve and restore natural habitats and improve water quality. Streets will receive 32 percent, and tran- sit 25 percent of M dollars.


step in favor of history charged with preserving Cali- fornia’s cultural heritage, voted unanimously to recommend an historic listing for Killefer in Jan- uary. OTPA and OUSD both had representatives at the hearing. OUSD opposed the designation


and has no interest in maintaining the property as an historic land- mark.


to death,” OC Parks Director Stacy Blackwood told an audi- ence of about 60 people at a pub- lic meeting, Feb. 19. “We need to develop a long-term operation and maintenance plan to keep it viable into the future.” OC Parks has teamed with Cal Poly Pomo- na to study Peters’ recreational in- frastructure, identify what draws users to the acreage, explore any needed changes and balance the park’s popularity with the atten- dant destruction of overuse.


What’s not to like OC Parks asked Peters Canyon


devotees to participate in the first phase of the planning process via public meetings, or by send-


ing comments to its website. A kick-off meeting, held at Irvine Regional Park, was attended pri- marily by neighbors from the Peters Canyon area. They were asked to name the most important assets of Peters Canyon and note any changes that could enhance the park experience. The group was nearly unani-


mous in its desire to keep Peters Canyon wild and open, and to preserve its natural vegetation and habitat. Attendees vetoed paved trails, fencing and addi- tional parking. While they ap- proved putting more benches on scenic overlooks, they did not want picnic tables, structures for shade or any amenity that “would attract more users.” Several neighbors reported that


people use the park before and af- ter hours, and noted that the scar- city of rangers and enforcement contributed to unauthorized dawn bikers and midnight partiers. Others noted that trails shared by hikers, bikers and horseback riders lead to confrontations and safety issues. “Not everyone is aware of trail etiquette,” said one park enthusiast. “The existing yield signs are not clear.”


Tuesday, March 10, 2015 OC Parks puts Peters Canyon’s problems in perspective


Nature and nurture Others at the public meeting


decried the low level of the lake, but recognized that OC Parks has no control of rainfall and the ef- fect of drought on Peters Can- yon’s centerpiece. It would be nice, one person advised, if the lake was treated like a lake and not a drainage ditch. Another suggested a little research on the lake’s history might explain why this drought has left its water lev- el so low. Attendees agreed that the only


thing “wrong” with Peters Can- yon is the continual onslaught of trail users, but acknowledged that there is no clear-cut solu- tion. Suggestions that park fees be increased, parking limited, ac- cess restricted, or users diverted to nearby Irvine or Santiago Oaks Park are all contrary to the man- date of OC’s public recreational space. By definition, the park is open to the public; it is funded by taxpayers for the use and enjoy- ment of all. A second public meeting will


be held March 14, this one a walk-through of Peters Canyon itself. For more information, see OCParks.com.


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