Regarding the April 11 news story, "Visitors to county parks want 'dynamic experiences,' report says":

Many kids in Oceano already have "dynamic experiences" accessing parks. One involves jumping a locked fence to play on a half dirt field with one worn goal post. It's the only park available to most people in Oceano. It's not a county park, but it's the elementary school yard behind a chain-link fence. And the one county park they do have in Oceano involves playing "chicken" with Highway 1 traffic because it's located on the west side of the highway with no crosswalks, stoplights, or bike lanes, and few sidewalks to get there.

But in the recent SLO County Parks Commission report, $0 was again allocated to the town of Oceano, where a quarter of the population is under the age of 18.

Oh, there was one "Oceano" park listed in Tier 1 projects—the Coastal Dunes RV park located next to the Grover Beach train station and a couple of miles away from most people in Oceano. It was allocated nearly a half a million dollars for electrical upgrades.

If parks are indeed one of the "best investments in our future," it appears that no one thinks much of Oceano's future. Especially not San Luis Obispo County 4th District Supervisor Lynn Compton—who was completely silent on the issue. Likely, she was basking in the glow of her five mentions for Nipomo parks.

Bonita Ernst

Oceano