I am deeply concerned about some changes at Adair-Kennedy Park. Just recently the city removed a good chunk of the park, cutting all the trees near the baseball field. It was the area where most people who live nearby strolled, played and walked their dogs. Now it looks bare and depressing. I was told they were doing it for safety reasons, to increase the visibility for the school and to stop illegal activities. Being an educator myself, I understand the concern. But as a long-term resident of that area (18 years), I don’t agree that cutting all the trees was necessary. Just taking some of them down would increase the visibility significantly. In addition, I myself witnessed that most of the bad stuff happens not among the trees but rather behind the baseball covered area, where kids can easily hide. I myself chased kids out of there several times.
Cutting the trees did a lot of damage to the homes on Channcie Court and Short Court, exposing the baseball field to the families who live there. Being one of those families, we now feel like baseball games are happening in our backyard with all the yelling, whistling, cheering, etc. The sound barrier created by the trees is gone. That means we can’t have our family nights outside anymore during the baseball season. But this is only part of a problem.
The bigger problem is that over the past 20 years, the city wasn’t doing much for the park. In my recent efforts to save the park, during the walk-about with a City and Borough of Juneau representative, I pointed out some bad trees that needed to be removed, as they presented clear danger. To my surprise, the bad trees are still there. I was told the city ran out of money removing the good trees. This is where it stopped making sense to me. How is it possible that master plan doesn’t include taking care of the existing park (or what’s left from it now), which has been neglected for years? How is it possible that the creek behind our homes on Channcie Court hasn’t been cleaned for decades and collected all the debris and trash in it? From time to time, we go and do the clean up ourselves, with our neighbors, and even with students, who come and volunteer cleaning, but we cannot remove the dangerous trees, and cannot clean the creek.
Now, when the trees are gone, CBJ needs to do something with the area. We were hoping they would create something nice, functional and attractive. But, I guess, it’s all about the money again. Turns out the least expensive way is to put a dog field! We may need a dog field somewhere in the valley, but not in that area! Who needs a dog field in the place where we already have forest and trails? Plus, the baseball field is empty most of the year, and is also used for dog exercising, when available, and it’s available most of the time. As a longtime dog owner, I can assure you: there is absolutely no need for a dog field in the place where CBJ planned it. Move it to Tongass Boulevard or Mendenhall Boulevard where there is a real need for it, with hundreds of homes and literally no walking space, trails or wooded area. People there will thank you for that.
Instead of a dog field in Adair-Kennedy Park, create something nice, like a recreation or picnic area, similar to the one on the other side of the field, with tables and benches, green lawns, flower beds and planted trees in the middle. This could compensate for the cut down trees and extend the rest area for people who come to watch baseball games. This is needed much more than a dog field, as the space for families at the park during games is very limited. Another option would be a nice playground, as we don’t have any around. In any case, just leveling the ground and putting a fence around it will leave the place depressing. We need to be better than that. I hope CBJ will listen at this time.
• Janna L. Lelchuk is a Juneau educator and longtime resident.
