The San Diego County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to adopt its 2022-23 budget on June 28. Public hearings were held on June 13 and 16, with the deadline for e-comments for the budget due by June 22. Again, this year, the Alpine County Park is in the budget. The 2022-23 recommended budget totals $7.15 billion, a decrease of 11% due to the removal of one-time costs for COVID-19 response and reductions in Capital Program.
In 2021, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved its $7.2 billion fiscal year 2021/22 recommended budget, which included $10.5 million for phase 1 of Alpine County Park. Since the 1990s, the county of San Diego Parks & Recreation Department worked with the Alpine Community Planning Group and other stakeholders to obtain a suitable community park location. The County purchased the 98-acre parcel of land with intent to build an active recreation area from Wright’s Field Partnership, LLC on March 4, 2019, for $1,621,500. Of the 90 acres, approximately 26-acres will be developed for the Alpine County Park. The remaining acres will remain open space preserve. The park will be located at 2480 South Grade Road.
In the Capital Needs Assessment: Fiscal Years 2022-27, the following is budgeted for the Alpine Park for BOS approval.
Alpine Community Loop: $8 million for pre-construction of the Alpine County Park, including design, environmental analysis, easement acquisition and construction of pathway and sidewalk improvements to increase connectivity to Alpine Park.
Alpine Local Park Acquisition, Design, Environmental, and Construction: $33 million for design, environmental analysis and construction of Alpine Park. Park amenities could include sports fields, picnic areas, playgrounds, all-wheel park, dog park, trails and other recreational amenities. The project will be constructed in phases.
The operating impact for this park will include $0.2 million in staffing, operations, maintenance, contracted services and utility costs to operate. Total estimate project cost for FY 2022-24 is $17 million with an estimated revenue for ongoing costs at $209,487.
The park as an estimated completion date in December 2023.
In e-comments, Amanda Pavich opposed the Alpine County Park project.
“The Alpine County Parks Project should not be approved. At every meeting, there have been more against this project than for it; redundant amenities are being built right now at JM Middle School, adjacency to this property. Parks + Rec has not addressed the negative issues in the DEIR, nor considered the alt plan of a smaller, nature-based park that the community does want in that location. This is an unreasonable taxpayer expense, and an unnecessary use of high-quality open space.”
George Root also opposed the project.
“The Board of Supervisors are being asked to continue funding (over $50 million) the Alpine Park project when the Parks and Recreation Department has not responded to all the negative comments that were submitted on the Draft Environmental Impact Report. There were far more opposition comments submitted on the County’s proposal than supporting it. Some of the items the County used to support the plan have changed since the draft was issued including assumptions about population growth in Alpine.”
