Owner Expresses Anger Over RV Park’s Failure : Ventura: Nancy Hubbard blames environmentalists and government regulators for pushing her into bankruptcy.

With bankruptcy proceedings under way and a bank foreclosure looming, the owner of the Ventura RV Beach Resort accused environmentalists and government regulators Monday of helping to push her out of business.

“Despite all the support we’ve gotten from the community at large during our travails, there has also been an awful lot of ‘kick ‘em when they’re down stuff,’ ” Nancy Hubbard wrote in a one-page news release.

The RV park in January had sought protection from creditors under Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. In her statement Monday, Hubbard said Sumitomo Bank of California had initiated foreclosure proceedings and will take possession of the property by the end of this month.

But Sumitomo officials said they cannot formally take possession of the property until the bankruptcy case is resolved. Bank officials said they would like to continue operating the park until they can sell the property.

Altogether, they said, the Hubbard Family Corp. owes the bank $2.91 million.

Some Ventura council members have said they would consider using city money to buy the property to add it to a Ventura River Estuary enhancement project.

In any case, Hubbard said she was disassociating herself from the resort and plans to pursue other business opportunities in Ventura.

Heavily damaged by floods in February, 1992, the beleaguered trailer park never fully recovered. Environmentalists opposed the recreational vehicle resort before it opened in 1985, and renewed their pressure following the floods.

The park lies on a 19-acre section of river bottom and flood plain, nearly skirting the Ventura River and only a short walk from the ocean shore. When pelting rain showers caused the river to overflow two years ago, the raging waters tore quickly across the adjacent RV resort.

The swollen river destroyed or damaged 40 of the 57 motor homes parked at the site and washed one vehicle under the Ventura Freeway and out to sea.

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Environmentalists pointed to the destruction as reason why a trailer park should not lie so close to the mouth of the river. The Ventura council debated suspending the park’s permit following the flood, but ultimately agreed to let Hubbard continue operating the business.

Since then, the California Coastal Commission has ruled that the Hubbard Family Corp., which Nancy Hubbard manages, must increase its insurance policy from $2 million to $10 million to cover any future flood losses.

Last year, county officials told Hubbard she would also have to install a new flood control warning system on the property. Hubbard had been contracting with the county and said the new system would raise her costs considerably.

On Monday, Hubbard implicated all the agencies and detractors as opponents of the RV park who ultimately contributed to its demise.

“It has been a long hard struggle trying to keep the dream of my late husband alive,” Hubbard wrote, referring to Arnold Hubbard, who died of heart failure following the floods. “Unfortunately, because of heavy government overzealousness, lost revenues since the flood of 1992 and high legal and insurance fees which made (the) operating cost prohibitive, the dream became impossible to fulfill.”

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Ventura Mayor Tom Buford said neither city staff members nor the council ever hoped Hubbard would fail in her enterprise.

“I don’t think the city has ever wished any ill will toward Arnold or Nancy,” he said.

Buford added, however, that opposition to the project, both on and off the council, was clear from the very beginning.

“Arnold knew going into it that it would be a tough one to pull off,” he said. “He made a business judgment and decided to do it.”

Dan Murphy, an assistant county counsel who often deals with flood control issues, said the county also cannot be held responsible for the RV park’s financial troubles.