A Legacy of Parks, Open Space

The closer Thousand Oaks inches to its legislated population cap, the more its residents should appreciate their city’s wealth of parks and open space.

Many people share credit for this commendable legacy but no one has worked harder to make it happen than Jim Gilmore. As he winds down toward retirement at the end of this month after nearly 32 years with the Conejo Recreation and Park District, The Times would like to lead a chorus of current and future Conejo Valley residents in thanking him for his good work.

When Gilmore first reported for duty in February 1968, the city had only two parks. There was plenty of open space, but none of it had been acquired for preservation by the district.

“When I came here there were no plans,” he told a reporter last week. “I felt there was a big opportunity to do the thing I wanted to do, which was to build parks.”

That he did. After starting as an administrative assistant in the district office, Gilmore served as park development planner for the past 23 years. He helped to increase the number of parks from two to 44, to bring nearly 14,000 acres of open space under public protection and to build 80 miles of trails.

Gilmore’s contributions included researching and planning where parks should be located as the young city grew to maturity. He negotiated with developers and steered his visions through the Planning Commission and City Council.

The list of parks he helped to create goes on and on:

* Borchard Community Park

* Thousand Oaks Community Park

* Cypress Park in Newbury Park

* Evenstar Park in Westlake Village

* Russell Park in Westlake Hills

* Conejo Creek Park

Together they add up to a city where nearly everyone can find a place to relax and enjoy nature near their home. Thousand Oaks has about 40% of its area in parks and open space, compared to 4% in Los Angeles.

We salute Jim Gilmore for his role in making that vision a reality. Now it’s up to others to preserve these open spaces and make sure quality of life never slips out of the top spot on the city’s list of priorities.