Agoura Hills looks at new rec center

City sets aside
$4 million



Agoura Hills

looks at new

rec center

City sets aside

$4 million

By Stephanie Bertholdo

bertholdo@theacorn.com

The Agoura Hills City Council and city staff will consider setting aside $4 million of the city’s $10.8 million general fund for a new recreation center.


The recreation center has operated from a building at the St. Paul Lutheran Church site on Thousand Oaks Boulevard since 1989. The lease ends in four years, but the city has an additional five-year option.


The city hopes to set aside $4 million for a new center and add to the fund over the next several years.


During a recent financial goal-setting session, the city also discussed other expenses for the future, from the funding of the Kanan and Reyes Adobe interchange projects to the city’s new responsibilities regarding the federally mandated National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System program.


Each council member contributed to a list of projects that they would like to tackle either next year or sometime in the future. In all, 39 projects and goals were listed.


Ed Corridori, Agoura Hills mayor, said the list was "a measure of the kinds of things this council wants for the city."


Topping council’s wish list was a three-year commitment of $100,000 per year to the Las Virgenes Educational Foundation.


Business development goals included the implementation of a tourism bureau, and the hiring of a business development specialist to develop partnerships with major corporations in the area.


All council members want to see the city become more attractive. Decorative fencing and landscaping on the west side of Kanan Road at the Medea Creek underpass was recommended, and a possible community garden similar to Oak Park’s was discussed.


Connecting Oak Creek apartments to Chumash Park and creating a walkway under the freeway from the apartments to the Mann Theaters and to the proposed Agoura Village area on Agoura Road is being considered, so is the restoration of the city’s channeled creek beds and the improvement of citywide landscaping.


As for public safety, the council members hope to expand the Sheriff’s budget. After listening to concerns from a local business owner about crime on Agoura Road, the council said it would consider "examining enhanced law enforcement for (the) Agoura Road entertainment corridor during night hours."


Council member John Edelston suggested sharing costs for law enforcement with neighboring communities.


Under the open space category, there was just one goal—acquiring Lindero Creek headwaters as parkland.


Equestrian improvements in Old Agoura included restoration of the trail under the freeway along Palo Comado Creek. Funding for additional horse trails in Old Agoura also is being considered.


The project recommendations will be distributed to a committee that will prioritize the suggestions and make final recommendations to the ciy council.





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