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Sand Dune Park in Manhattan Beach Could be Shut Down
In early August, Manhattan Beach officials closed the popular Sand Dune Park for maintenance after a busy Summer with a high rate of visitors. About a month later, it was ready to be reopened, but didn't.
"There is a organized group of residents fighting to close the dune permanently in order to discourage people from coming to their neighborhood," warns Jake Rome, a photographer who enjoys visiting the park. "Without a strong voice calling for the park to remain open to all, they may succeed."
Tonight might be the first step of many that will keep the park closed until measures to curb usage or parking problems in the neighborhood are put in place. And that could take months if all goes to plan, with an expected reopening next Spring, according to a staff report (.pdf).
However, Rome finds tonight's proposal to be illogical because Summer is over. "The peak usage period has ended until next May, as I'm sure your park statistics indicate," he wrote in a letter to City Council. "By closing the park, the City Council would be depriving its residents of a treasured resource at no benefit to the community."
In 2002, a similar closure of the park was eminent, but public pressure kept the spot open.
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