Neighborhood Finally Getting Its Own Park

After five years of struggle, 62 working-class families that make up the Villa Campesina neighborhood finally have a park to call their own.

On Tuesday, the families gathered with city and county officials to celebrate the groundbreaking for the park at the end of Liberty Bell Road. Work is expected to be completed within two months.

For residents, the ceremony symbolized a long, hard-fought victory.

They had spent years pleading with officials to build the park. They had sold tacos to raise money. And finally, they had voted to tax themselves to pay for the park’s maintenance.

Yet residents say it was worth it to give their children a safe place to play close to the neighborhood and away from city streets.

“It’s dangerous in the streets,” said resident Macario Magana, a construction worker who has three children. “There’s security here for the kids. Here we can be vigilant and watch over the kids to make sure they are free from danger. It’s a good place where nothing bad will happen.”

Teresa Cortes and other homeowners acknowledge that getting to this point was not easy.

When her 19-year-old son Steve was young enough to carry to City Hall meetings, Cortes was fighting for the city to allow the Villa Campesina housing project to go forward.

After winning approval in 1986, Saticoy-based Cabrillo Economic Development Corp. developed the 62 houses with the help of their owners. As part of its agreement with the city, Cabrillo was required to build a park and to create a homeowners association to maintain it.

Plans called for the park to include basketball and volleyball courts, a soccer field and picnic area.

But the project was stalled because the county’s flood-control agency wanted to acquire the site as part of its plan to widen the nearby Arroyo Simi.

Resident Melissa Harris, however, began pushing for the park after a friend of her 5-year-old daughter’s was hit by a car in 1993.

Largely due to her and Cortes’ efforts, the residents of Villa Campesina were able to secure a one-acre parcel for the project.

But the park was again delayed by construction of a footbridge next to the site. The bridge was created after an 11-year-old boy drowned in 1995 while trying to cross the arroyo.

The developer also had difficulty getting money to pay for the park’s maintenance.

“The hang-up was that Cabrillo was supposed to have this done years ago, and it came down to money,” said Councilman Chris Evans. After residents asked for help, “they were given an option: they either found a way to maintain the park or they didn’t get one.”

Last year, residents voted to tax themselves $60 annually to cover maintenance costs.

“It’s not really important, the $60,” said Magana, noting that his children need a safe place to play. “The important thing is the happiness of the family. That is what matters.”

Work on the park began last week. Cabrillo is spending $60,000 for its development, $40,000 of which was collected from residents when they purchased their homes.

Evans praised the residents for “putting their money where their mouth is” by approving the special assessment.

During Tuesday’s ceremony, Cortes and Harris sipped water and stared at the one-acre patch of leveled dirt overlooking the arroyo.

“It’s been a long haul,” Harris said.

But residents say they are not through. Now they want to raise $15,000 to purchase playground equipment.