What's Happening in Poway, CA…

Some residents on both sides of the U.S. and Mexican border have a different idea of what should separate the two countries: a park.

Friends of Friendship Park, a small group of volunteers from both Tijuana and San Diego, would remove any walls that exist now and build a park instead. The park would have an entry point for pedestrians moving between the two countries.

John Fanestil is one of the members of the Friends group, and holds communion services every week at the fence. He and others argue that creating better relations between the residents on both sides of the border makes sense. They believe keeping the border secure and creating a park that crosses it are not mutually exclusive, adding that better technology makes it simpler for law enforcement agencies at all levels to maintain security.

Friendship Park, from which the group takes its name, is at Monument 258, a stone marker designating the first point of entry between Mexico and the United States. For years, families from both countries have gathered there.

Early next year, a group of designers, architects, and others from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard will come to the area. They will hold hearings, one in Tijuana and the other in San Diego, to discuss their concepts for the park.

Organizers of meetings like this can work with a flyer printing company to create an agenda for attendees.