Officials in Oxnard Soften Landfill Stance

Oxnard representatives have backed down from demanding the immediate closure of the Bailard Landfill, saying they would be willing to extend the life of the dump in exchange for the creation of a park or wildlife sanctuary there once it shuts down.

Since late last year, Oxnard officials had been pushing for closure of Ventura County’s largest landfill as soon as its permit expires in December.

But Oxnard representatives said this week they would be willing to support a phased closure over the next few years in return for creation of a regional park or wildlife area on the site.

The Ventura Regional Sanitation District, which runs Bailard, plans to study whether development of such an area could be added into the closure costs for the landfill. The sanitation district is seeking to stretch Bailard’s Dec. 7 deadline to May, 1997.

“We have to close the dump but we have to leave something in its place,” said Oxnard Councilman Andres Herrera, the city’s representative on the sanitation district’s board of directors. “The only reason we would consider an extension of the landfill is so that we could ensure that closure is done properly.”

Herrera said it doesn’t appear that the sanitation district will have enough money by the end of the year to close Bailard and provide the regional parklands that Oxnard and others want.

Also, because there will be no other place for west county residents to dump their trash, Herrera predicts that state and county officials will allow Bailard to operate past the December deadline.

Ideas that have been discussed by the sanitation district for the site once the landfill shuts down include an $11-million regional park, a bird sanctuary and hiking or equestrian trails.

Ratepayers ultimately would pick up the tab for the facilities.

“We don’t have any defined idea of what it would be,” Herrera said. “But whatever it is, it would be a hell of a lot better than just mounds of dirt with over-seeded grass.”

The idea of beautifying landfills once they close is not new.

In 1983, Oxnard officials received approval to annex the defunct Santa Clara Landfill and develop the River Ridge Golf Course on it.

About two years ago, Clint Whitney, sanitation district general manager, said Oxnard officials asked about improving the looks of Coastal Landfill, a dump sandwiched between the Bailard and Santa Clara landfills that was closed by the sanitation district in 1989.

About six months later, Whitney said he was approached by representatives of Ag Land Services, an Oxnard-based land management group, on the possibility of creating a recreational lake south of Coastal Landfill.

Whitney said Ag Land officials told him the lake would enhance a development proposal for 250 acres south of Coastal, east of Victoria Avenue and north of Gonzales Road.

“All they were asking from us was not to oppose their proposal to the City Council,” Whitney said. “We were absolutely cold to the idea. We don’t want any subdivisions that close to our landfills.”

For Ag Land’s part, owner Dave White said he wants the sanitation district to create lakes next to Bailard and Coastal to prevent gases from decaying garbage from seeping up through his adjacent property.

White makes no secret of his desire to develop the land south of the Coastal Landfill and acknowledges that a regional park or other amenity would boost surrounding property values.

But he said his current interest in landfill closures has nothing to do with any future development proposals.

“They’ve been dumping on this area adjacent to our property for some 30 years and now they just want to walk away,” White said. “We want them to do something decent over there instead of leaving a sorry mess.”

Two weeks after the General Election in November, County Supervisor John Flynn and Oxnard Mayor Manuel Lopez held a press conference against the backdrop of the Bailard Landfill.

ey accused the sanitation district of stalling the closure and failing to adequately prepare to shut down the facility. They said Oxnard had taken the trash of the western county long enough.

And they called for closure of the landfill by the end of this year.

Last week, Flynn and Lopez, joined by Herrera, issued a statement calling for a well-defined and well-financed plan for the closure of Bailard. But fearing that Bailard’s closure would leave an ugly scar in northwest Oxnard, Flynn said he now is willing to consider supporting the operation of the landfill for another two or three years.

“We are frightened that we are going to end up without anything out there,” Flynn said. “Oxnard has done the rest of the cities a favor for 60 years by taking their garbage. Now it’s time for the city to get something in return.”

Patrick Forrest, who heads the grass-roots group Voters Against Bailard, maintains that Bailard should be closed as soon as possible. He said any extensions should be granted six months at a time.

“We want the landfill closed and we want some indication when that is going to happen,” Forrest said. “The people who live around the landfill area and the people in Oxnard have had this long enough.”