Panel Discusses New Road to Ease School Traffic

After years of debate about traffic at a well-attended adult school, Conejo Recreation and Park District officials may end up building a new road to the site.

The district’s board of directors said at their meeting Thursday night they would schedule a series of public hearings on whether to build a road to Conejo Valley Adult School and a nearby park.

Many residents have complained about excessive traffic in their neighborhood--an area heavily used by equestrians--caused by students going to and from the 14-year-old adult learning center.

As proposed, a new road would lead from the school’s parking lot on Old Farm Road to either Janss Road or Avenida de las Flores.

The Janss Road route--which would run about 2,800 feet through Conejo Creek Park--would probably cost between $250,000 and $360,000, park administrator Tom Sorensen said. The park district would look to the city, school district, equestrians, homeowners and sports enthusiasts to pay for the road.

That route, however, could pose problems for horses crossing the street, Sorensen said.

The city of Thousand Oaks had earlier proposed a road from the school parking lot to Avenida de las Flores, but that route would have no access to the Moorpark Freeway, Sorensen said.

Both proposals raise other questions, such as whether the Little League baseball field at Conejo Creek Park would have to be moved.

The road issue will be brought before the Thousand Oaks City Council on July 22.

Neighbors have long complained that the school draws traffic that they believe ruins the hometown feeling on Waverly Heights Drive.

Sal and Jo Terrusa, who have lived in the neighborhood for eight years, don’t like either of the road proposals.

Building a new road “changes the whole nature of our neighborhood,” Sal Terrusa said. “We live in an equestrian-zoned area. A road kills the whole deal.”

The Terrusas, among 25 residents who attended the meeting to voice their concerns, also are opposed to a previous traffic suggestion--speed bumps--saying they are bad for horse trailers.

The couple said they have counted 2,000 cars a day coming from the school on surrounding streets. City reports confirm that about 1,840 cars per day travel those streets. The average residential road in Thousand Oaks carries about 1,000 vehicle trips per day, according to the city.

Dave Woodruff, the adult school’s principal, was not at the meeting. But he has previously said he is pleased the park district was considering possible solutions to the neighborhood’s problem.

If he had his druthers, Woodruff said, he would prefer the access route to Janss Road because of its access to the Moorpark Freeway.

If the Terrusas had their way, they’d prefer no school at all.

“We’re not opposed to what the school does,” Sal Terrusa said. “We’re opposed to its location. The school should be in a commercial area.”