PORT HUENEME : City Officials Call RV Park Study Biased

Port Hueneme city officials on Wednesday belittled the study of a proposed city-owned RV park by opponents that predicted financial losses the first two years, accusing the author of bias and slipshod research.

In a report delivered to the council, City Manager Dick Velthoen said the feasibility report prepared by John F. Imler reflected the views of private park owners opposed to city-owned recreational vehicle parks. Imler heads Executive Services Group, a company that provides technical services to the California Travel Parks Assn., and serves as a lobbyist for the association.

Criticizing what he called Imler’s “overwhelming economic bias,” Velthoen said Imler’s report contained “inconsistencies, inaccuracies and holes that are huge.”

Hired by opponents of Port Hueneme’s proposed beachside park, Imler criticized the city’s projections that the park would generate nearly $400,000 a year in profits.

Park opponents dismissed the city’s reaction as a “face-saving” move to buttress its own assumptions that the park would be a moneymaker.

“This report is nothing other than a personal attack on the messenger who is bringing you bad news,” said Alan Sanders, a Port Hueneme resident and RV Park opponent.