Sheriff’s Department Donates to Center

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department donated $16,000 Wednesday toward continued construction of the Agoura Hills/Calabasas Community Center.

The money was raised from the Sheriff Department’s 10th annual Community Golf Classic in June. This is the first year the community center is receiving the golf tournament donation, said Sheriff’s Deputy Shawn Brownell of the Malibu/Lost Hills sheriff’s station.

“We thought we’d keep the money local this time,” said Brownell, who said this year’s golf tournament raised more than twice the amount collected in past years.

The center is being built on a 4 1/2-acre site next to the Malibu/Lost Hills sheriff’s station.

“Talk about built-in security,” said Audrey Brown, community services director for the city of Agoura Hills.

The Community Center Alliance, a nonprofit organization created to raise funds for the center’s construction, estimates an additional $500,000 is needed to complete the construction and furnishing, Brown said. So far, the alliance has raised $200,000, including a donation of $100,000 from Countrywide Home Loans.

Construction began on the 30,000-square-foot center in July, and it is expected to be completed next summer. The facility will feature an 11,000-square-foot gymnasium and rooms for dance, weightlifting and meetings.

In 1992, Agoura Hills and Calabasas agreed to pool funds received from Proposition A and other sources to build a larger community facility. Each city contributed $1.9 million toward the $5.3-million project.