Environmental Committee OKs Reagan Library

A Ventura County environmental committee Wednesday approved a plan to construct the Ronald Reagan presidential library on a 100-acre site between Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley, clearing the way for final approval by the county Planning Commission.

The committee of county agencies, which could have required the $45-million library to undergo a lengthy environmental review, acted after a compromise had been worked out Monday between environmentalists and representatives of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation.

The compromise called for the foundation to hire traffic and environmental consultants and to protect three rare plant species at the site on Madera Road.

The state Department of Fish and Game, which is responsible for protecting rare plant species, had objected to an earlier draft of the plan, saying it was not specific enough.

But the department tentatively approved the plan Wednesday after reviewing the new version worked out Monday. It calls for using fences to shield the plants during construction and monitoring them thereafter, said Carl Morehouse, a county planner in charge of the library proposal.

“We’re very happy,” said C. Ronald Kimberling, executive director of the foundation, which has sought a home for Reagan’s White House papers since 1981.

Kimberling said the foundation and its consultants will work closely with a citizens advisory committee to develop specific plans to decrease traffic and air pollution effects, such as using buses to shuttle visitors to the hilltop site.

Russ Baggerly, spokesman for environmentalists, said he was confident that the library would not have a significantly adverse effect on the environment.

“The foundation’s good neighborliness has been exemplary and I’m sure will continue to be so,” Baggerly said.

The committee’s decision may be appealed to the county Board of Supervisors within 10 days. If no appeal is filed, the Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the proposed library by the end of the month, Morehouse said.

The project, which includes a 300-seat auditorium, a replica of the President’s Oval Office, a presidential museum and a room for Nancy Reagan memorabilia, is expected to draw an estimated 100,000 to 300,000 visitors per year.

Kimberling said the foundation is hoping to break ground on the library in November and complete it by 1991.

Foundation trustees have been soliciting private donations to build the project for the past three years, Kimberling said. He declined to say how much money has been collected.

The National Archives and Records Administration will operate the library on an annual budget of about $1.5 million, Kimberling said. It now operates eight presidential libraries with taxpayers’ money, and in some cases, admission fees, he said.