Deficit May Force Closure of Certain County Parks

Citing a yearly deficit of more than $450,000, Ventura County’s chief executive has proposed closing, selling or leasing several county-owned parks as a long-term solution to a nearly 14% budget shortfall.

Chief Administrative Officer Lin Koester’s preliminary $956-million spending plan for fiscal 1999-2000 does not include enough money to operate and maintain the county’s 27 parks. The department is designed to be self-sustaining.

The parks department’s need for $457,000 was highlighted in the recommended budget as a crucial issue worthy of special consideration by the Board of Supervisors.

“We’re looking at selling, leasing or closing some parks as a possible alternative,” Bert Bigler, chief deputy administrative officer, said Monday. “It really depends upon how they do in terms of generating additional revenue. If they do well, it may not be needed.”

Some of the parks failing to generate enough money to cover their operations include Tapo Canyon Park in Simi Valley and smaller neighborhood parks in Oak View, Casitas Springs, El Rio, Piru, Saticoy and Nyeland Acres.

The maintenance of Tapo Canyon Park could be transferred to the Rancho Simi parks district, General Services Agency Director John Johnston said. But if the smaller parks didn’t find any takers they may have to close, he added.

The department derives its income from parking and camping fees and penalties, and special permits. More than half of its income comes from investment returns and from leasing park property, such as Kenny Grove between Santa Paula and Fillmore and Oak Park near Simi Valley.

And most of that leasing revenue is from the proceeds at two golf courses--at Soule Park in Ojai and another in Saticoy--which are managed by private operators.

But additional attempts to bring golf and other activities to county parks to generate more money have been futile.

In March, plans to build a 16,000-seat amphitheater at Camarillo Regional Park, which would have brought in an estimated $700,000 a year for parks, fell apart. That deal’s New York-based concert promoter backed out after months of fighting public opposition in court.

Then last month, the developer of two golf courses planned for Toland Park near Santa Paula announced that project will be delayed for at least another year. The Malibu company said it needs more time to conduct environmental studies and find a company capable of removing tons of rocks from the site.

The courses were projected to generate about $600,000 a year by their fifth year of operation.

Meanwhile, plans to build an 18-hole golf course at Camarillo Regional Park and two additional golf courses on the lower 700 acres of Happy Camp Canyon Regional Park northeast of Moorpark are still in the early stages.

Johnston said his department will urge supervisors to approve the $457,000 request at a budget study session later this month.

But the director said he expects the board to postpone its decision until October, when the county has a better handle on its financial stability.

By then, the county may have learned whether it must pay millions of dollars to federal and state agencies as a result of its ill-fated attempt last year to merge its social services department and mental health agency. Also by that time, the county will know whether the state intends to return about $11 million in extra property tax money.

“Nothing is going to come to an end on July 1 if we don’t get the money,” Johnston said. “We’re not going to be nailing the windows shut. But if we don’t get the money now, we might as well start thinking about what we should do.”

If the parks department does not receive the money, Johnston said it will be forced to curtail numerous repair projects.

“Eventually the parks will start to deteriorate and it will be even more labor intensive to keep them up,” Johnston said. “We need to contribute enough capital now to make sure they succeed.”

In the past, the department had an annual deficit of more than $1 million. By slashing its full-time staff by half--from 32 to 16--Johnston said he was able to drastically reduce the shortfall.

Johnston said the department may consider increasing gate fees now charged at the larger parks. A few years ago, the department hiked the parking fees from $1 to $3 on weekends, and began charging $1 per car during the week.

“We hate to charge people to use public open space,” Johnston said. “We’re looking at [increases], but it’s our last option.”