East County : Thousand Oaks : Residents Can Rank Community Needs

Thousand Oaks residents will have the opportunity to work with local government when the Community, Open Space and Sports Facilities Task Forces meets during the next three weeks to determine future public projects.

Through the use of a questionnaire distributed at task force meetings, residents will be asked to rank community needs, from constructing athletic fields to installing air conditioning in schools.

The approach to community involvement evolved ut of the council’s goal sessions, where council members Frank Schillo and Alex Fiore came up with the joint effort between representatives of the City Council, the Conejo Recreation and Park District and the Conejo Valley Unified School District, Thousand Oaks Mayor Bob Lewis said.

“It is extremely important we receive as much feedback as possible,” said Schillo, who heads the task force. “Future construction or acquisition priorities will be bases, in pat, on the concerns of the community, as reflected by information received from citizens.”

Lewis said that any projects would be funded with new bonds.

“You’ve got to hae community involvement,” he said. “More important, the community has got to buy into it.”

The meetings will run from 7 to 8:30 p.m. today at Colina Intermediate School, 1500 E. Hillcrest Drive; from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Los Cerritos Intermediate School, 2100 E. Avenida de Las Flores, and from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Oct. 3 at Sequoia Intermediate School, 2855 Borchard Road, Newbury Park.