Please don't permit additional tennis courts in Mesa Meadows (or Western Area) Park

[Nelson Hoffman]

Dear members of the Los Alamos County Council and School Board,

I'm writing as a long-time resident of the Western Area of Los Alamos, to urge you not to allow the building of additional tennis courts in the Mesa Meadows (or Western Area) Park. This park is a pleasant space running up from Sullivan Field to the Mesa Meadow soccer field, and is currently the site of four tennis courts. For generations, children have played and ridden their bikes in this park, dogs have run and walked through it with their owners, and cross-country skiers have slid down its gentle slope. Its small groves of pine trees survived the harsh droughts of the early 2000s, when numerous trees died. How tragic it would be to destroy those survivors now! And how unfair, to pave over the green space for tennis courts that would hardly ever be used.

As you may know, Los Alamos has plenty of tennis courts already, so the need for new courts is not obvious; it probably stems from the desire to have the capability to host occasional large tennis tournaments. But surely this capability can be met with new tennis courts sited somewhere other than Mesa Meadows. North Mesa and Overlook Park seem like good choices. If it is too windy at those sites, it is possible to build high fences with wind barriers -- and, to be honest, Mesa Meadows is windy, too. Or how about acquiring the old Smith's grocery store building, demolishing it, and using that area for tennis courts? Another very nice site is the abandoned wastewater treatment plant lying in the secluded area between Orange Street and Villa Street, accessed by Olive Street. 

Some may argue that more tennis courts will improve the quality of life in Los Alamos. But please keep in mind that open green spaces also improve the quality of life here. If the alternative sites we are proposing are more expensive to develop than Mesa Meadows, please remember that a very good way to save money is to build no more tennis courts at all.

Thanks for considering this request.

Sincerely,

Nelson M. Hoffman

776 41st St
Los Alamos, NM 87544
cell phone: 505-440-0117
home phone: 505-500-8061

[Ryti, Randall]

Mr Hoffman

On behalf of Council, I thank you for sharing the reasons for your opposition to the Mesa Meadows location for additional tennis courts as well providing some alternate locations to consider.

Randall Ryti, County Council Chair

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From: Nelson Hoffman <nels.in....@gmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, April 3, 2022 8:17 PM
To: Melanie Colgan <m.co...@laschools.net>; c.ber...@laschools.net <c.ber...@laschools.net>; a.jau...@laschools.net <a.jau...@laschools.net>; e.sp...@laschools.net <e.sp...@laschools.net>; e.g...@laschools.net <e.g...@laschools.net>; Lynne, Steven <steven...@lacnm.us>; Martinez, Eric <eric.m...@lacnm.us>; Rhoton, Sara <sara....@lacnm.us>; public....@laschools.net <public....@laschools.net>; Ryti, Randall <randal...@lacnm.us>; Derkacs, Denise <denise....@lacnm.us>; Izraelevitz, David <david.iz...@lacnm.us>; Scott, Sara <sara....@lacnm.us>; Reagor, David <david....@lacnm.us>; Hand, Melanee <melane...@lacnm.us>
Subject: [EXTERNAL]Please don't permit additional tennis courts in Mesa Meadows (or Western Area) Park

 

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