Oak Park MAC draws a crowd 19 candidates for two vacancies

Oak Park MAC draws a crowd 19 candidates for two vacancies By Daniel Wolowicz danielw@theacorn.com

For many years, the Oak Park Municipal Advisory Council drew little interest from prospective candidates, but two current vacancies on the board brought more than just a casual response.

A record 19 residents have applied for the open seats, and now it will be up to Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks to review the applications, interview the candidates and make her recommendations to the board of supervisors later this month.

Both Parks and the current MAC members said they are glad to see such a large turnout of qualified applicants.

"I think it’s good we have so many candidates," said MAC member Todd Haines. "It shows that Oak Park people are interested in what’s going on in the community. I would have been disappointed if only two people applied for the seats." In past elections, the MAC has struggled to find sufficient candidates to compete for open seats.

Parks said one benefit of a large candidate pool is it introduces her to civic-minded volunteers who are willing to staff other city committees. Parks said the "true gems" are candidates who want to use the position to benefit the community, not just for its title.

All but five of the candidates spoke briefly, noting their qualifications, issues of interest and a short personal history. Many candidates said preservation of open space was their key concern. Increased community safety, neighboring city partnerships and even bringing a Fourth of July fireworks show to Oak Park were also discussed.

The applicants include three candidates who ran for MAC seats last November. They are Tyler Morris, Mary Pallant and Anthony Fote, who placed third, fourth and fifth, respectively, in the election..

Parks has scheduled 10 interviews thus far and plans to announce her selections at the next MAC meeting on May 24.

Other business

Residents at a recent MAC meeting said they were upset with Venco Western, the landscape company contracted by Oak Park. Homeowners were concerned that eight sick holly oaks slated for removal along Kanan Road between Conifer and Tamarind streets were to be replaced with carrotwood trees. Residents said the tree’s root rot problems are a direct result of poor landscaping by Venco.

Venco’s President Linda Burr presented the board with an independent report on the trees written by Donald F. Rodrigues, a horticulture consultant. Rodrigues recommended eight of the trees for removal and said the current sprinkler system is "not compatible with tree needs." Overwatering is the main reason the trees have root rot. In addition, the report said a drip-style sprinkler system should be installed and the surrounding grass should be torn out and replaced with shrubbery.

Burr offered the board a $9,000 proposal to deal with the tree removal and general relandscaping of the median. The board recommended that Venco remove the eight holly oaks, but keep the grass. Venco must also aerate the soil and treat it for phytophthora, the soil fungus responsible for the root rot, and will need to monitor the water used on the trees. Finally, the board required Venco to replace all the dead trees with holly oaks.

"We are very happy they are keeping the oaks," said Janna Orkney, one of the residents who pressed the counsel to question Venco’s maintenance routine. "The question now, of course, is how do we make sure they don’t get overwatered again?"

The MAC selected Orkney, Dean Burnett and David Ross for a citizen’s committee to analyze how best to maintain the trees.

Ross is a former MAC member and is one of the current candidates.

Ross suggested Venco Western relinquish landscaping duties to the Rancho Simi Parks and Recreations District.

Haines said that although the area in question was not properly maintained, Venco generally does a good job throughout Oak Park.

The MAC turned its attention back to the traffic problems created by Medea Creek Middle School. Residents from the Shadow Ridge homeowner’s association expressed frustration over the continual disregard of traffic laws by parents dropping off their children at the middle school. Illegal U-turns on Doubletree Road, trespassing into the adjoining church’s parking lot and heavy traffic in the mornings were the main concerns.

"Medea Creek has 1,000 students," said Principal Laurel Ford. "Because they all come and go at the same time, you’re going to have traffic problems. We’re always trying to find a solution."

Oak Park School District officials, including Superintendent Tony Knight, said that although a dozen different solutions have been proposed, none have been totally effective.

Regardless, steps were proposed to better mitigate the morning traffic jam. The plan included extending barriers along Doubletree, increase signage and adding more turn lanes into the school. Increased patrol by the California Highway Patrol and Sheriff’s department were requested.

School officials said parents need to realize all tickets given in a school zone are doubled and may be as high as $500 each.