Manhattan Beach residents gathered last week to offer input regarding the city’s changes to Sand Dune Park’s current reservation system.
On Dec. 5, Manhattan Beach began increasing access to the park by offering lunchtime reservation slots on weekdays and allowing adults over the age of 55 to use the park without a reservation. The council also voted to test a monthly pass system for the park’s use – each month, 50 passes are to be distributed on a first-come-first-serve basis. Those 50 individuals will not have to make a reservation online to use the park, provided there is space on the dune when they arrive.
No more than 20 individuals will be allowed on the dune at one time, regardless of whether or not one has a pass. In six months, the council will revisit and evaluate the changes.
Residents at the meeting were disappointed they weren’t able to offer input regarding the changes prior to the City Council meeting on Oct. 18, during which the changes were approved. “I don’t think the community living around the park was asked if they want an increase in noise and traffic,” said Heidi Snively, one of the two-dozen individuals who attended the meeting.
Perhaps the most controversial change was allowing older adults on the dune without a reservation. “This is an open invitation to all of LA County to walk in, unannounced, without reservations to use (the dune),” said resident Judd Grenier.
Manhattan Beach resident Dennis White, who lives near the park, suggested the age be changed to 65 and older.
City representatives asked residents their thoughts on extending the dune’s reservation system to Sundays. On Sundays, the park is currently only open to children under 12, who are not required to make a reservation.
While a handful of residents at the meeting were supportive of adding Sunday reservations, the majority were vehemently opposed. “I think it’s ludicrous to make the sand dune the only park facility to be open early in the morning, at 6 o’clock, to exercise,” White said.
Grenier echoed the sentiment. “The neighborhood needs breathing space, it needs a day off,” he said.
The dune was shut down from the end of 2009 until August 2010 after residents complained about heavy traffic, noise and litter. During the summer of 2009, about 9,000 people visited the dune in one month, according to the city. “The city has done a great job of getting it reined in,” Snively said. “We don’t want it to go back to the way it was.”
The next community meeting will be on Dec. 14 at 6:30 p.m. in the police and fire community room.
