The city of San Diego says it decided to take down the playground at Fanuel Street Park in Pacific Beach due to safety concerns. NBC 7’s Shandel Menezes reports on Dec. 3, 2024.
A popular playground in Pacific Beach is gone, and many families who used it for decades say they're disappointed.
Parents like Michelle Todd agree that Fanuel Street Park was falling apart.
“They put a piece of wood with a chain and lock, and the kids were fascinated by that,” she said.
To make matters worse, kids have a weird way of fixating on things not meant to be played with.
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“Oh, this kid loves it,” Todd continued. “A trash can, anything, he loves it. But, yeah, not the safest.”
The safety risk after decades of disintegration is why the city decided to take it down.
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Pacific Beach neighbor Dan Stone and his son watched as dump trucks hauled his play away.
“We were here hanging out, and we noticed all the dump trucks and such, and that's when we knew," Stone said. "We didn't have any prior knowledge.”
For the foreseeable future, the sand lot and swings are it for the park, according to Charlie Nieto, president of the Pacific Beach Town Council.
“It's pretty pathetic, to be frank,” Nieto said.
He said this is the latest in a sad series of events for the park.
"Two years ago, there were multiple car accidents that crashed into some of the other structures here at the park, including some cement sea turtles and these little concrete dolphins," Nieto said. "And then, there's been plenty of incidents here at the park that have dubbed it the nickname ‘felony park.’”
City spokesperson Benny Cartwright said staff is considering adding this project to the next Mission Bay Improvement Fund, but there’s no telling how long that will take to be approved. If it isn’t, parents are prepared to take matters into their own hands.
“For us to like raise our own money, that’d be kind of dope,” parent Mike Reed said. “I'm sure an architect and a structural engineer might throw in their services for free, and away we go.”
If this project funding gets approved, it could take up to seven years to finish.
