Westlake Village receives a $1 million sports park grant

The California State Park Department recently awarded the city of Westlake Village a $1 million grant to help finance the eight-acre sports park that will sit adjacent to the proposed Triunfo YMCA complex.

The money comes from two grant programs handled by the State Park Department, the Youth Soccer and Recreation Development Program and the State Urban Parks and Healthy Communities Program, state officials said.

Over $46 million in grants was given to 61 park projects. Westlake Village received the maximum grant amount.

“In the 13 years I’ve been with the city, this would be the largest grant the city has received,” City Manager Ray Taylor said.

Because of the city’s affluent population, Westlake Village rarely receives grants from the state, which is why the city council recently gave Assistant City Manager Audrey Brown— one of the grant’s authors—a special commendation for acquiring the money.

“It really was a team effort,” Brown said. “We’re a very small city with a very small staff and by combining resources . . . and because we had a very good, competitive grant, we were successful in getting it awarded.”

Brown said she believes the city received the grant because the sports field will benefit the entire region.

“Because of the location of Westlake Village . . . we’re able to serve not only our residents in the city, but a wider area as well,” Brown said.

Last August, the Westlake Village City Council approved construction of the city’s longawaited YMCA.

The 35,000-square-foot sports complex will be built on a 33-acre parcel located on the north side of Thousand Oaks Boulevard just west of Lindero Canyon Road.

City officials said they hope to see the field built in the near future but, according to YMCA officials, it will take about three years to raise the $8 million needed to build the complex.