Ventura County Puts a Bear Hug on Camp Comfort

Camp Comfort. Just the name of the recreational park near Ojai sounds picturesque and inviting. And at one time it was, officials say.

“It used to be a place where you’d have your Rotary Club picnic or your company picnic on Saturdays and Sundays,” said Ventura County Supervisor Steve Bennett. “But that’s not so anymore because of the park’s condition.”

Today, broken benches litter brown lawns. Bathrooms are in disrepair. Barbecue pits sit rusty. And revenue from the once thriving county-owned campground has fallen from $130,000 in 1987 to $80,000 last year.

“The park, which is supposed to be operated as a ‘first class park,’ is in deplorable condition,” the county’s parks director wrote in a letter in August to Carey Jones, the private operator who runs the camp.

As a result, supervisors voted this month--under threat of a lawsuit--to sever a 30-year contract with Jones. He has until May 1 to clean up the park and pull out.

Jones, the son of former Supervisor Ed Jones, declined to comment on the county’s allegations.

Some debate whether the cash-strapped county parks department can do a better job of managing the campground and turn it into a revenue generator. Jones’ supporters argue that Camp Comfort may need improvements, but no more than surrounding parks run by the county.

“If you compare it to Foster Park, Camp Soule, we think it’s in a better condition,” said Jones’ attorney, David Merrihugh.

“I’d like to see the county do a better job,” added camp host Jim Connelly, holding a stack of photos of other county camps, showing overgrown grounds and dilapidated picnic areas. “They can barely run the parks they have, and now they are fighting to get this one back.”

In fact, county officials themselves are still piecing together where the money will come from to refurbish Camp Comfort.

The estimated $9,000 needed for cosmetic improvements such as new paint for park buildings and lawn maintenance--work that officials want done before the Memorial Day holiday--will probably come from holding off on projects planned for other parks.

Johnny Johnston, director of general services, has struggled to support the county’s 22 parks, trails and golf courses on a $2.7-million budget. A 1996 decision by supervisors to split the parks and harbor departments into separate agencies deprived the parks of prized funds generated by Channel Islands Harbor fees.

The move so swiftly cut into park funds that staffing dwindled from a high of 32 to 15.

“You’ve heard the term ‘bare bones?’ ” asked county parks Manager Andy O’Shita. “We’re a little below bare bones. It’s tough.”

Still, O’Shita scoffs at the notion that the county can’t do better than Jones has. Plans are already in the works to bring in county inmates to help with grounds work. Park rangers will be on hand to greet campers. State funds may also be on the way, thanks to a $2.1-billion parks bond passed by voters last year.

And to spark new interest among parkgoers, the county will circulate a newsletter alerting regulars to planned renovations.

The goal is to increase visitors to the park, thus increasing revenue. Camping fees run about $15 a night.

“It’s not just about budgets,” O’Shita said. “It’s how you manage your facility. And if you provide a good service, then you don’t even have to really promote it. People will do the word-of-mouth PR for you.”

Another big change, county officials say, will be a crackdown on people who use beat-up RVs or tents for permanent housing, turning campgrounds into trailer parks.

Connelly and his wife, who live at the park with their four children, deny that any families, aside from their own, live there, saying they enforce a strict 28-day maximum stay.

“They say people live here,” said Sheri Connelly. “That’s not true. It’s never been true.”

But Linda Ash, an attorney for the county, said park officials got regular complaints from visitors disturbed by campers who had moved in--a violation of county ordinances. The complaints became so frequent last year that county officials conducted a sweep through the park, Ash said.

“It worked for a while, but the problem eventually just picked back up again,” Ash said.

Because of the legal costs involved, Merrihugh said his client probably would not follow through on his threat to sue the county for prematurely ending the contract, originally signed in 1985. Still, Merrihugh thinks his client would prevail, contending that most of the county’s complaints are overblown and “nit-picky.”

Jim Connelly agreed.

“Look, if you want a Ramada Inn, then don’t come here,” he said. “Go to a Ramada Inn.”