Elementary Students Get Temporary Track

School officials have put in a temporary running track next to Wood Ranch Elementary School on the planned site of Sycamore Canyon Park, district and park officials said Monday.

Wood Ranch Principal Karyn Cryster said she asked the school district for a temporary fix so her students could have a place to run that would not mean racing across concrete surfaces.

“They need a mile run, and we can’t go on our field yet to have our kids practice,” Cryster said. “If we had to do it around the school . . . with all the buildings, it’s not conducive to running a mile.”

The school playground, next to the Sycamore Canyon Park site, is closed until sod planted earlier this year matures.

Meanwhile, another long-awaited project is waiting for the rainy season to end so ground can be broken. The contractor for the next phase of Rancho Madera Park on Lake Park Drive South and Lake Park Drive North has been given the green light and will begin in the next two weeks, said Ed Hayduk of the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District.

Amenities to be built between now and June include sand volleyball courts, more parking and a “tot lot” with playground equipment for children. The $1.42-million project will double the size of the developed portion of the park to 20 acres, Hayduk said.

Although construction should be completed in June, the park will not be open until August because the new sod will need three months to mature, Hayduk said.

The “tot lot” and courts may open sooner because they are on the edge of the park, he said.

Money for the park improvements comes from fees paid by developers.