Saugus Land to Be Sought for Water Plant, City Hall

Santa Clarita and the Castaic Lake Water Agency have agreed to work together to buy the defunct Saugus Rehabilitation Center, a prime 520-acre parcel owned by the city of Los Angeles, for a water treatment plant and city hall.

The Santa Clarita City Council and the water agency board, meeting in a joint session Wednesday night, agreed to form a committee to oversee their campaign to purchase the Saugus property. The council also agreed that the agency, which has already made overtures to Los Angeles concerning the parcel, will take the lead in negotiations.

The agreement eliminated a point of friction between Santa Clarita and the agency. During the meeting, council members said they had been annoyed to learn recently that the agency was trying to obtain the rehabilitation center without city involvement.

Councilman Howard P. (Buck) McKeon said he thought the city and agency had agreed about a year ago to pursue the property together. Water agency directors replied that newspaper accounts had led them to believe the city was no longer interested in the rehabilitation center.

On Thursday, agency Director Mary R. Spring said the city and agency had come to an agreement in principle over plans for the site.

Multiple Uses Planned

The agency wants to build a water treatment plant by 1992 on 65 to 80 acres of the site. Santa Clarita would like to build a city hall, park and perhaps an arts complex. The city has temporary offices in the top floor of the Valencia National Bank Building. The city’s lease expires in 3 1/2 years.

Representing Santa Clarita on the city-agency committee are McKeon, Councilwoman Jo Anne Darcy, City Manager George Caravalho and City Atty. Carl K. Newton. Representing the water agency are Spring, General Manager Robert C. Sagehorn, Atty. Robert H. Clark and Director Bill J. Thompson.

During the joint meeting Wednesday, City Council members again denied that they have agreed to endorse plans by the city of Los Angeles to put a landfill in Elsmere Canyon in order to obtain favorable treatment from Los Angeles over the rehabilitation center.

The city and county of Los Angeles view Elsmere Canyon, just outside Santa Clarita, as a prime site for a dump.

Los Angeles city, county and federal officials negotiating a complicated land swap that would preserve Elsmere Canyon for a landfill have suggested that Los Angeles could deed portions of the Saugus rehabilitation site to Santa Clarita to induce the young city to support an Elsmere landfill. “Their discussions have not included us,” Santa Clarita Councilman Dennis Koontz said Thursday.