CMWD goes up 'Lazy River' at park hearing
by Kelly Feser Eells

Nearly 40 people showed up for a public hearing on the Mitigated Negative Declaration for Casitas Municipal Water District's proposed Alternative Swimming Facility - a "lazy river" - Wednesday night, and nearly half of them had something to say about the project.
The first speaker, Sharon Kroll, said she was "very proud and pleased to represent the Boys and Girls Club of Ventura," on whose behalf she urged community support for the facility. "We're always looking for inexpensive, safe, healthy places to take these children, who don't have what I had as a youngster."
Explaining that, as the population of at-risk youth grows, "And it's growing very, very rapidly in our county, we find that there are less affordable things for our youth to do. So, what do these kids do? They're not going to stay in the house; they're going to hang out on the corner," where, she added, a good number of them are either victimized or become victimizers themselves.
"So, while I'm a great environmentalist - I love this country, the Earth, our oceans, rivers, trees, birds. Even snakes," she joked, "as long as they stay in their fields. And, while I believe everything has a place under God's great sun...I also love the word 'possibility.'
Everything really is possible," said Kroll, "if we'd all get on the same side and work for the common good. These kids are dying, folks. We just had a youngster killed right around the corner from where I live on Ventura Avenue...just because he was standing on the corner and someone perceived him to be a gang member, which he was not." She concluded by asking people to remember that, "when you're talking about the environment and the safety of the fish and the birds, please also remember my children. And your children, and the children of the neighbors and the faces that you never ever see. You know, these kids don't know anything about nature, but with (more) places like this, well, people like me, working in prevention, can show them something other than concrete" and teach them to appreciate it. "If we'd just all get on the same page," she said, the facility offers an opportunity to enhance the lives of all.
Mira Monte resident Ray King said he "surprised to see this project back" for consideration "so soon. I have some real concerns about it, and I did before. I don't think Casitas can be everything to everyone; it's already an educational resource. And, as I understand it, the (existing) children's playground hasn't been a real success." King noted that, "as a water user, my first concern is the MTBE."
Kale Starbird, also of Mira Monte, echoed King's sentiments. "I'd like to see the Board concentrate on improving water quality," she said. "But my main concern is traffic. I'd like to see a moratorium on all recreation projects."
Acknowledging his "respect for the Audubon Society's and other points of view," Oak View resident Paul Buckley said he believed that "the project should go ahead.
I've thought about it and weighed it," said Buckley, adding that, as a volunteer boat patrolman, "I've seen how the staff (at the lake) operates and they're very vigilant about everything. They're as concerned about body contact and water quality as I am," and work hard to keep the area pristine. "I'm not salaried by the water district, and no one asked me to appear here tonight," he said. "I'm here as a 32-year resident. And I believe that the project can (safely) go ahead, provided we keep monitoring it and deal with any problems as they come along."
Ojai resident Pat Weinberger was equally supportive. "I've been associated with this lake and its board since 1968," she said. "And I don't think any (board) has done as much for Casitas as this one has. I, too, am a member of the Audubon Society," said Weinberger, then indicated that, under the current Board's administration, bird-watching opportunities and other recreational opportunities have significantly improved. "The Charles Teague watershed area was, initially, zoned for 10,000 housing units. This board helped preserve the area, and I can't say enough in praise of them." She added that she was confident the project had been comprehensively studied, and that she supported it. "I'd also like to thank the lady who told us to consider the kids," the human factor, when considering the overall environmental impact.
John Christianson of Meiners Oaks began by saying, "while it seems like a noble intention to provide recreational opportunities" that do provide for body contact, "the fact is, we're losing trees already because of - documented - fecal events at the (existing) playground. And we're going to have more of these events," if this project goes forward.
Ojai resident Jack Gillooly and Environmental Defense Center representative John Bussey addressed the "inadequacies" of the Mitigated Negative Declaration document. "I'm not going to say whether the facility is good or bad," said Bussey, "and I don't think the Audubon Society is trying to endlessly halt the project." Their primary concern, he explained, is cumulative environmental impacts were "inadequately studied and analyzed." Bussey provided Board members with a written summary of the EDC's findings.
At the hearing's close, District Manager John Johnson told the nearly evenly divided audience that, once all of the evening's testimony had been reviewed by associated County and state officials, another public meeting would be scheduled related to those findings.

© 2002 The Ojai Valley News

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