Palmdale Plan for Teen-Age Center Runs Into Delay

A long-awaited plan for Palmdale’s first indoor recreation center for teen-agers faltered Thursday night when the City Council delayed action on a proposal to lease and remodel a former downtown toy store.

Despite months of negotiations, city officials said they had been unable to reach a lease agreement with the owner of the building. That news cast further doubt on prospects for an early opening of a center many residents say is desperately needed.

“We’re so far apart on so many different things,” said Alex Kaminar, the Van Nuys businessman who owns the building sought by the city. Kaminar said issues other than the basic $162,000 first-year price for the lease are in dispute. But he and city officials refused to elaborate.

Many parents, teen-agers and city officials in the Antelope Valley community have long complained that the city, despite its tremendous growth, has no indoor recreation facilities where youngsters can play sports or just socialize in a supervised setting.

The city wants a 10-year lease for Kaminar’s vacant, 32,000-square-foot building in Palmdale Plaza, a rundown shopping center near City Hall. The building at 815 E. Avenue Q-6 for years had been a supermarket, and more recently a toy store, which closed earlier this year.

The lease had been scheduled to be acted upon by the council a week ago but was continued. It was again on Thursday night’s agenda, but council members pulled the item from their regular agenda and held a 50-minute, closed-door discussion before returning to announce another delay.

City Administrator Robert Toone said he hoped the lease deal might be concluded by the council’s next meeting on Sept. 13, but gave no assurances. Should that occur, though, the center still might not open for many months because of the time needed to transform the building.

The city expects to spend about $742,000 to prepare the building and operate it for the first nine months, including nearly $284,000 for remodeling, $233,000 for operating expenses, $176,000 for staff and $49,000 for equipment. City officials said it would then cost about $500,000 per year to operate thereafter.

City officials also said they hope the recreation center plan, along with a separate city plan to lease another adjoining store for a new city library, will help restore some luster to a complex that was the valley’s first shopping center when it opened in the late 1950s.

John Lasagna, city parks and recreation director, said the city hopes to operate the center seven days a week, including night hours on most days. Plans include two basketball courts, areas for volleyball, badminton and activities classes, and a snack bar and music for teen-agers.

Palmdale, despite its population of about 56,000, has neither a city-run gymnasium nor a municipal recreation center. Its only indoor basketball courts are those at local schools, and the city’s popular recreation classes and programs are crowded into several city buildings.