Delay in Park Closings Brings No Celebrations

A three-month reprieve for 30 county parks threatened with closure brought no sighs of relief Wednesday from park users and employees, as visions of a future marred by thigh-high grass, empty swimming pools and no place to play intruded on a hot summer day.

“People have been calling for swimming lessons, and I was telling them the pool might not be open,” said Mel Springer, sitting in a sparse office at El Cariso Park in Sylmar, which is on the closure list.

“If we close, they’ll dump the water and let the lifeguards go. It’s too bad. We didn’t hire them all that long ago.”

The county Board of Supervisors Tuesday directed the Department of Parks and Recreation to transfer money budgeted for the department’s recreation programs to the upkeep of 30 parks and swimming pools the department had planned to close Saturday.

The move will allow the parks to stay open until Sept. 17--but they might have to close after that date.

Because of a potential budget shortage of $1.2 billion, the county has ordered 20% cuts in most departments, including Parks and Recreation. In 1995-96, the department will receive about $9.1 million less than it did the last fiscal year, prompting the decision to close parks and swimming pools and lay off as many as 150 employees.

The only recreational programs expected to continue at county parks are those that generate revenue through fees, such as Little League baseball, and activities funded by federal grants, such as children’s lunch programs.

The threatened parks include several in the San Fernando Valley area, including El Cariso, Dexter Park in Kagel Canyon, Crescenta Valley Park in Glendale, and Pearblossom and Apollo parks in the Antelope Valley.

Wednesday, department employees were relieved at the postponement of closures, but were still making plans based on the previously unthinkable.

If the parks are shut down “we’re going to put them in mothballs,” department spokeswoman Sheila Ortega said. “So we’d shut off the utilities, board up windows on buildings, remove whatever playground equipment we can. . . . All services would be removed, including maintenance and security.”

Ortega, who admitted to being upset over the possible closures, said most of the parks would eventually have “awfully long grass.”

There is also concern about the legal liability for any injuries or deaths suffered in unsupervised parks.

“Of course those are concerns,” Ortega said. “But if they are not going to give us enough money to operate them, those are the consequences.”

The dismantling of recreation programs and the possible closure of parks would also have many more personal impacts.

Among El Cariso users, Tamara Warren, who was enjoying a picnic in the park Wednesday, would have to find a new spot. David and Gloria Cabral would have to look for a new place to walk their baby. Ray Gomez, who telephoned about swimming lessons Wednesday, might never learn. Arlene Dews would have to look for another place to hold her family reunion.

Jerry Van Orden might have to relocate his chili cook-off from Crescenta Valley Park. And Patty Steur would have to decide what to do about the country jamboree she has planned in the park for Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, an event on which she has spent at least 500 hours planning.

In Steur’s case, the closure of the park could create a domino effect on a community.

“We’ve got over $9,000 in contracts out there for performers and vendors,” said Steur, who holds the annual jamboree to raise money for the nonprofit Crescenta Valley Town Council. “The Town Council depends on this to keep our doors open.”

Also threatened by the park’s closure is an arts and crafts fair and a car show by the Montrose--Verdugo Chambers of Commerce.

Neither the chamber group nor the Town Council--both of which have contracts to use the parks--has ruled out suing the county for damages.

“Our park is a tremendous necessity for our community,” she said. “We need a place for our children to play, we need a place to have our events. . . . To lose it would be devastating.”