SIMI VALLEY : Park Improvements Get Tentative OK

Simi Valley parks officials have tentatively approved more than $600,000 worth of improvements at Strathearn Historical Park, a park district official said.

The board of the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District decided last week to draw plans for a series of improvements designed to draw more visitors to the park, which is situated near the northwest intersection of Madera and Tierra Rejada roads, said Donald E. Hunt, the district’s deputy general manager.

The proposed projects include spending an estimated $200,000 to $250,000 for earthquake reinforcement of the park’s adobe building. The district plans to install beams in the walls and roof of the adobe, which was built by American Indians about 1800.

Parks officials also plan to create an entrance to the park from Tierra Rejada Road and add a 40-space parking lot, Hunt said. Visitors now park their cars on the grounds of the historical site, he said.

Another proposed project is to create a cul-de-sac at the park’s Strathearn Place entrance, which could be used by tour buses, he said.

The total estimated cost of the projects is more than $600,000, Hunt said. The district hopes to raise money for the projects from grants, developers’ fees and Community Redevelopment Agency funds, he said.