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Roger Craig talks parks Interview with Roger Craig, by Daniel YostDuring a recent workout at the gym, I heard Roger Craig, former San Francisco 49ers running back and Player of the Year, talking about preparing for a marathon by running in the local parks. I thought if I asked nicely, Mr. Craig might give me some tips on which hill I should climb to get in shape. What I got was an earful on San Mateo County's parks. The number two rusher in 49ers history, Roger Craig credits running up the hills of Edgewood, Wunderlich and Huddart County Parks - along with Windy Hill Open Space Preserve - for staying in shape and staying focused. "I didn't miss a game for eight years, and I owe that to the local parks." "The parks changed my life. They force you to meditate and visualize positive things as you run up the hills. They've helped me as an athlete, a business man and a father." Roger hesitates, then goes a step further. "Stressed out people should be required to go walking in the parks." In Roger's view, we have "the best trails in the country. We've got the views, and we've got the weather. This is what northern California is all about." And he's not the only one who thinks so. "The Nike farm team and Kenyans training for the Olympics come here to run." oger shared his opinions on the subject of financing for parks. "Every year there is rain and erosion on the trails. You've got to put money aside to pay to preserve the parks. If you are using the parks, you should want to pay a tax for them." His favorite spot is in Edgewood Park, on the hill overlooking highway 280. "Standing at the top gives you this great sense of accomplishment." Roger credits Arthur (Art) Ting, orthopedic surgeon for the San Jose Sharks, with introducing him to the hills at Edgewood Park. Even though Roger "threw up two or three times" the first time he ran the hills, he returned - and brought others with him. Roger wanted to make one final point: "I don't care what ESPN has misreported about Jerry Rice introducing other NFL players to Edgewood. I was first. I brought the others, and Roger Craig remains King of the Hill." |
Parks for the
Future: by Daniel Yost, Steering Committee member, Parks for the Future, and attorney at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP in Menlo Park. Have you wondered why the folks at City Hall haven't
fixed the torn-up playing field in the park down the street? Perhaps you
noticed that some of the San
Mateo County parks (San Bruno Mountain, Edgewood, San Pedro Valley
and Junipero Serra) were closed mid-week during summer 2004. A group of parks volunteers is working with Committee for Green Foothills, the San Mateo County Parks and Recreation Foundation, and City and County officials to close these funding gaps. The group, "Parks for the Future," is seeking a dedicated source of funding for City and County parks. Recent discussions have focused on a countywide sales tax for parks and recreation, with the revenues to be divided between cities and the County. Is there support for such a tax? The San
Mateo County Parks and Recreation Foundation recently polled County
voters to determine the level of support in San Mateo County for a tax
dedicated to parks and recreation. The poll results were encouraging:
most voters were in favor of such a sales tax. Where would the money go? Should the measure
pass, these funds would support all of our County parks as well as City
parks throughout the County. Residents throughout San Mateo County use
County parks, as well as city facilities in their own and other towns.
Most cities in the County either contain or are within a few miles of
a County park or recreation facility. Those polled were most excited about improving infrastructure,
with 83% favoring repairing and improving existing parks and recreation
facilities, 80% favoring repairing and renovating children's playground
equipment, and 80% favoring maintaining existing trails. San Mateo County is among the richest counties in
the nation in intellectual capital, ethnic diversity, scenic beauty and
vocational opportunities. Given the attractiveness of recreational opportunities
in the Bay Area, creating a mechanism to sustain our parks shouldn't be
a question of "why" but a question of "when." Parks
for the Future thinks the time for this is now. What can you do to help? The process
will soon be considered by city councils throughout San Mateo County.
Contact your city council and urge members to support the Parks for the
Future process and to support adequate funding for the County Parks, which
have many deferred maintenance needs and are mainly used by city residents.
It's time to let voters decide to create a dedicated source of funding
for City and County parks. Published March 2005 in
Green
Footnotes. |
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Reductions
in the general funds of cities and the County of San Mateo have resulted
in drastic cutbacks for parks and recreation. For City parks up and down
the Peninsula, this has meant deferred maintenance, reduced hours and
even facility closures. County parks staff has been reduced from the equivalent
of approximately 94 full-time rangers and park aides in 1990 to some 59
today - supporting 15,500+ acres of County parks and more than two million
annual visits.