Fields OK’d for Westlake sports park

City to begin ballfield construction at YMCA site



Westlake Village city leaders are moving forward with improvements at the new YMCA sports complex and community park on the north side of Thousand Oaks Boulevard, west of Lindero Canyon Road.

At a meeting Oct. 9, the City Council approved a plan to build two sports fields with surrounding trails and amenities. Offi- cials estimate this phase of the park project will be completed within a year.

The master plan for the 18- acre park includes a full-service YMCA with two pools and courts, and 8 acres of baseball, softball and soccer fields. Site preparation at the park began in July 2009. Work on the YMCA complex still awaits funding.

The project is a joint venture between the Triunfo YMCA and the City of Westlake Village. Volunteers with the Westlake Village Community Foundation are raising money to pay for the construction of the YMCA building.

The $4.5-million improvements on the west side of the property will include a restroom and concession building, small play area, walking paths and picnic areas. The multiuse sports fields will have synthetic turf and lights.

The entire project will cost more than $40 million.

The city’s money will come from county and state grants, a park bond, water quality grant and Measure R transportation funds for road improvements.

The Measure R funds will also be used to construct a park-andride lot at the site.

Officials hope the two ball fields—which can be converted into a large soccer field—and surrounding trails will give recreation-minded residents a reason to get involved in raising funds to build the rest of the park and YMCA.

“We’re planting a seed,” City Councilmember Mark Rutherford said.

The ball fields will be “a showcase” to help with fundraising. “But we just can’t go it alone,” Councilmember Robert Slavin said.

In 2010, officials hosted four workshops seeking input from the community regarding what should be built at the park.

Ray Taylor, city manager for Westlake Village, said the city chose to start with the two ball fields on the west end of the property because the ability to convert the area into overlapping soccer fields will allow the city to use a state park grant.

Once complete, the sports park will have three baseball diamonds to the west and three soccer fields to the east of the YMCA sports complex.

“Fields will be enclosed with netting so balls don’t stray off site,” said Robert Echavarria, service project manager for MIG, the firm that designed the park’s landscaping. MIG estimates that it will cost $10.6 million to build the park using synthetic turf.

The park also will have trails with fitness stations, two tot lots, a skateboard park, and a picnic pavilion overlooking the Conejo Valley.

The plaza-style skatepark will have small walls and rails, but no bowls or large transitions.

Due to limited space, designers tried to create a skatepark that would offer a variety of skating opportunities for all ages and skill levels and allow several skateboarders to use the facility at one time, Echavarria said.

Slavin cited some concerns about the low-key design, believing it may be inadequate for skateboard enthusiasts.

“I want to make sure that we’re meeting the needs of skaters. It has to be a kind of challenge to them—to get them away from City Hall and commercial areas where they do damage,” he said.

At the meeting, the city also approved an agreement with 1GPA, an Arizona-based governmental purchasing groupthat will allow the city to buy synthetic turf at a discounted rate. And the city approved an agreement with a nonprofit organization established by David Murdock, founder of Dole Foods, to help pay for the park.

“The city has an agreement with the foundation for exchange of services, sharing costs for landscape design services around the YMCA building. By doing this the city has been able to save a great deal of money,” said Audrey Brown, assistant city manager for Westlake.

Taylor said the YMCA’s portion of the project will be built “on their own time.”



Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *