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Residents press council to preserve Jay Littleton Park as ballfields; city urges participation in workshops
Summary
Dozens of public commenters urged the City of Ontario to preserve Jay Littleton Park as a ballpark rather than replace it with splash-pad concepts, raising safety, historical and parking-capacity concerns. Council members encouraged residents to attend upcoming workshops and emphasized balancing safety, code and budget constraints.
Residents and frequent public commenters pressed the City Council to keep Jay Littleton Park as ballfields and to broaden outreach after a parks presentation that many said showed only a splash-park concept.
Donna Littleton Ferris, who identified herself during public comment, told the council the parks presentation was biased toward a splash park and warned of safety risks: "Parents don't pay enough attention to their children when they're at a splash park... Pedophiles are ready to watch who's not paying attention," she said, urging the council to prioritize baseball fields instead. Gary Littleton, referencing past refurbishing work, questioned the proposal's numbers and said earlier seating calculated the ballpark capacity closer to 800, not the 3,500 in the current concept; he suggested an independent third-party review of capacity and parking impacts.
Kizzy, another speaker from the affected neighborhood, implored council members to "please listen to the residents" and said the community could "revitalize that park" without massive spending. She warned that, if the park were removed, she would campaign against incumbents in 2026: "if that park's not there, ma'am, I'm gonna do everything to make sure you're not here." Other speakers, including Marty McBride, asked why a fire at the park had prompted changes to the city's general plan and whether insurance proceeds would be used only to rebuild loss rather than expand the scope beyond the approved plan.
Council members responded by urging residents to participate in scheduled workshops and by noting constraints officials must balance, including building codes, ADA requirements and available funding. One council member said the workshops have begun and asked residents to "tell us what you want"; another emphasized the need for a balanced approach that honors history while remaining affordable.
The matter remains in the planning and public-engagement phase; councilmembers repeatedly encouraged residents to attend upcoming workshops and provide input before the city moves forward with specific designs or funding commitments.
