Lopez vs. San Marino
I'm all fired up from the latest Steve Lopez column, where he takes aim at San Marino for charging outsiders $4 a head on weekends to enter Lacy Park.
I'm particularly disgruntled about this example of civic intransigence because I frequently bike past Lacy Park on the weekends.... whereas on the weekdays, when it is free, I bike in Lacy Park. It is a circular park with two short circular bike/walking paths..... back in summer when there was enough light after work to get there I enjoyed relaxing by biking mindlessly in circles under the cool shade of the park's tall trees.
It is a particularly bitter pill to swallow to get shut out of there since I live about 2/10 of a mile from the San Marino border... also the other major parks I can bike to (Huntington Gardens, County Arboretum) come with a price tag that leaves unsuspecting visitors reeling from sticker shock.
Even if I lived in San Marino, I think I would be unhappy about the park status.... there is something not quite right about having to flash your driver's license at an admission gate to actually enter a green space.
Lopez throws fuel on the fire when he notes that the city has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in state funds to improve the park... so us non-San Marino residents are paying for a park that we can't visit on weekends. Awesome.
I also was surprised to hear the park cost $4 to enter... last summer it was only $3. To make sure Mr. Lopez is right about the price I went to check the price on the city web site.... however, there doesn't seem to be an admission price listed anywhere. In the manner of used-car salesman and late-night infomercials the city choose to go with the term "nominal fee" to describe the price of getting into the park. I dare anyone to find the term "$4" on the park website.
In the faq, they say $2 for residents and $3 for non-residents on weekends. But if Steve Lopez says it's $4, I suppose they may have changed their fee schedule.
I totally agree. I've tried going to Lacy Park, but was turned off by the admission fee. I don't know about you, but when I go to a park, I bring a kite and a bottle of water, not extra cash. And yes, it was $3 last summer.
Todd- Looks to me like they are talking about the cost of reserving the park, not of entering as an individual. From the FAQ:
Q: What is the cost to reserve Lacy Park?
A: The to reserve Lacy Park is $50 for first 50 people and 51st person on is $2/person; Saturday and Sunday is $3/person 5 years old and over. San Marino residents are free to enter park. We do not accept filming for weddings.
I think we must be looking at different parts of the faq. On this faq, the, the fourth question under Lacy Park is:
Q. Is there an entrance fee to use the Park?
A. The City charges $2.00 for residents and $3.00 for non-residents to enter Lacy Park on weekends. There is no entrance fee for Lacy Park on weekdays, unless you are in a group of more that fifty (50) persons in which case the entrance fee is $2.00/person.