MOORPARK : Council OKs Delay of Loan Repayment

Helping to keep the local Boys & Girls Club open, the Moorpark City Council has voted to delay for two years the repayment of a $50,000 loan the club owes to the city.

Council members on Wednesday unanimously approved the extension, stating that they wanted to help the club stay afloat in tough financial times. The club would have had to repay the city in September without the extension.

“I think if we hadn’t approved the extension they would have had to shut their doors,” said Councilman John Wozniak.

In 1991, the city gave the club the $50,000 loan and granted it another $50,000 to help it purchase the old Moorpark High School gymnasium, where the club is now located. The club still owes about $395,000 for the building. It also owes about $30,000 in back taxes, said club President Tony Linton.

Because of the club’s difficult financial situation, Linton asked the city to consider forgiving the loan altogether, or providing a monthly payment of about $2,600 in operating funds.

“We’re asking them to help us in the same manner that other cities help support their clubs,” he said.

City leaders agreed to discuss the issue with club officials, but were not encouraging about the possibility of future funding.

“We are living with our own constraints,” Wozniak said. “We have a very tight budget and further state cuts may make it even tighter. I just don’t see how we could help more without our economic situation changing.”