Lompoc should work around high-use seasons when planning repairs

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Lompoc parks renovation projects seem to interfere with team sports and major park events. Something needs to change to favor the schedule of teams and events during high-use seasons and conduct these projects in the off season.

The youth baseball leagues in Lompoc, and almost everywhere else, spend a lot of time and money helping to maintain their ballfields that are on city property. Their work includes stripping the field, filling the ever-present gopher holes, painting the scorekeeping box, maintaining the concession stands, and cleaning up when the games are finished. 

To use the fields, teams must pay between $12.50 to $30 an hour each hour they use the venue every season. To gather enough to pay for the rentals and the materials needed for maintenance, they operate concession stands and parents pay a small amount when they enroll their kids in a league.

The concession stands were constructed, largely with volunteer labor recruited from the various teams, decades ago and needed some serious renovation. Parks and Recreation acquired funding for the project and presented it to the City Council for approval; one item caught the eye of council members—the project would be underway during the baseball season.

This meant that for one full season, the leagues would lose their only source of income, and parents attending games wouldn’t be able to gobble down hot dogs or slurp sodas while cheering their youngsters on.

Another project is the renovation of Ryon Park walkways primarily to bring them up to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. These standards have been in place for several decades, so one has to ask, “Why has it taken so long to make the park accessible to everyone?”

They are also going to upgrade/replace the food truck parking pads and install utilities to support vendors.

The contract stipulates completion of the project by May 30, just two weeks prior to the start of the Flower Festival. As I recall, it takes the Flower Festival Association more than a week to prepare the park for vendors and visitors and a few days for the carnival to set up its attractions. All this preparation requires the use of walkways and movement of vehicles throughout the park; any construction slip would impact their efforts.

Just replacing sidewalks sounds easy, but concrete takes time to cure before foot or vehicle traffic can use it.

The council, and particularly Councilman Steve Bridge, was concerned that any hiccup during this project would impact one of the largest and most popular events held in Lompoc each year. Ultimately the council voted to approve the project; however, they added a stipulation that the work be stopped and the park ready for use two weeks prior to the Flower Festival.

Councilman Bridge was also concerned that this item was being brought to the council at the “last minute” after the finance director stated that these funds must be spent prior to the end of the fiscal year (June 30), so approval was needed at this meeting. 

Any reasonable person would ask the same question, but I have been watching council activities for about 30 years, and last-minute project approvals have been a common occurrence.

Public projects in high-use areas require special attention to the needs of the community; it is unreasonable to plan a project at the height of the festival or youth baseball season and not expect community concern.

And waiting until the eleventh hour to present a project for approval doesn’t allow the council enough time to examine the details of a project or make any meaningful changes. The two projects discussed here are perfect examples of a planning process that needs improvement.

Ron Fink writes to the Sun from Lompoc. Send a letter for publication to letters@santamariasun.com.

This article appears in May 1-11, 2025.