Shuttle needs money on board





STUCK IN NEUTRAL?—The Kanan Shuttle has so far been a success, but now faces funding diffculties.

STUCK IN NEUTRAL?—The Kanan Shuttle has so far been a success, but now faces funding diffculties.

The Kanan Shuttle may not be a free service for much longer after Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District voted 3-2 against earmarking $25,000 for the Oak Park bus service.

Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District, which maintains Oak Park parks, didn’t think the shuttle service directly benefited the parks in Oak Park.

Mike Paule, Oak Park’s Municipal Advisory Council member, said the shuttle was started a year ago to help ease traffic congestion.

“It turned into a very successful program for us,” Paule said. “We’ve been running it with the intent to keep it free for riders.”

About 300 people a day use the service.

Starting near the 101 freeway on Kanan Road in Agoura Hills, the bus travels north into Oak Park and loops around Lindero Canyon Road. It stops at schools and shops.

A shuttle discussion topped the July 22 MAC agenda. Paule said Ventura County has agreed to reevaluate the cost of the shuttle after learning that Oak Park has contracted with the City of Thousand Oaks to provide the transport service.

Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks landed a $400,000 state transportation grant that pays for the 80 percent of the shuttle’s operation but an additional $100,000 from local sources is required to keep the service running.

The Oak Park school district picked up $50,000 of the $100,000 bill and the MAC contributed $25,000. The MAC had hoped Rancho Simi would also pay $25,000.

In a survey that was conducted, Paule said almost half of the riders stopped at parks. “Clearly the parks are intertwined,” he said.

“We’re looking at a loss of ridership without your support,” Paule told Rancho Simi officials.

Oak Park schools superintendent Tony Knight said the school district had to reduce its initial $100,000 pledge since education funding was at an all-time low.

Knight and the board of education agreed to half the amount—$50,000—when they realized how beneficial the service was for students, parents and even the environment.

But Paule said during Tuesday’s meeting that the final amount needed to bridge the funding gap may be less than the $100,000 initially anticipated.

“We’re hoping it will cost less than it did before,” he said. “We’re still disappointed, (but) we’re determined. We’ll find a way to keep this thing moving along. It’s an important service.”

Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks told MAC members that the RSRPD seal could be added to the shuttle buses, and that a summer route for the parks could be “worked out” if they agreed to the partnership.

Ranchi Simi board member Gene Hostetler was against the $25,000 shuttle allocation. But Hostetler was swayed by public testimony and the assurances that additional stops to parks would be added. He changed his mind and voted in favor of the shuttle.

Rancho vice chair Elaine Freeman also supported the funding request.

“I respect the decisions of the MAC and the advisory committee,” Freeman said. “They understand clearly our funding situation. I think we as a district must provide recreation and parks, but we have a broader responsibility to this community. I personally think we have an obligation to support the shuttle. It’s the right thing to do.”

But chair Mark Johnson, and directors Kate O’Brien and Dee Dee Cavanaugh formed a majority that was against funding the shuttle.

“I think the shuttle is a wonderful item, a great thing, especially for students,” Cavanaugh said. “Currently, (the shuttle) does not stop at any of our parks.”

Oak Park High School student Frankie Alchanati told the panel that she uses the shuttle weekly to get from school to a local park for lacrosse team practice.

But Cavanaugh said, “I just don’t think the funding of public transportation is something the park district should do. “If you want to keep it free, the MAC and the school district should fund the shuttle, not parks, since we have other priorities,” Cavanaugh said.

While Johnson called the Oak Park parks a “gem” and a “best kept secret,” he said he didn’t believe in spending money before he actually had it, a reference to a plan by the MAC to use cell tower revenue to pay for the shuttle—money that was guaranteed but not received.

Parks said she was disappointed that Rancho Simi voted against the shuttle expenditure.


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