Park could be ready for play by fall 2008, official says
By Eliav Appelbaum eliav@theacorn.com

Village at the Park, a sports park that will be considered the jewel of the Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District, is nearly complete with the planning and financing stages.

"I'm looking forward to cutting the ribbon or kicking the first soccer ball in fall 2008," said Dan LaBrado, park district general manager.

The district is currently considering three proposals of private lenders, among them SunTrust Banks, Inc. and Union Bank of California, for the 55-acre sports park.

The district hopes the financial groups will provide the majority of the loan, although the park district has set aside $2.3 million of the public's money to help the project if necessary.

Preliminary estimates for the cost of the park are just under $13 million, but the park district anticipates the cost running closer to $15 million.

"We're trying to get the best financial package for the district," LaBrado said.

Village at the Park will focus on youth soccer and adult softball. There will be three softball fields, and a large flat area of green that will accommodate all ages of soccer players and skills, but the district has already talked about bringing in three local youth soccer organizations to play games at the facility. Those soccer organizations are American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) Region 68, the Eagles Soccer Club based in Camarillo and Real California FC. There have already been discussions to bring in state and national tournaments to Camarillo because of the new facility.

"You don't find 55-acre parks designed for this day and age," LaBrado said. "It's hard to pull together the resources and land nowadays."

Daryl Wagar, the park superintendent, is also excited about the park's prospects.

"This site will be designed to be a definite destination," he said.

The park will also have three buildings. The main building will have a snack bar with a concession area, a classroom for coaches, a storage room and restrooms. Another building next to the softball diamonds will be for the maintenance crew, with more storage room.

Three-quarters of the park will also have walking path, and next to the only surviving oak tree, there will be picnic tables and a tot lot, or a playground for younger children. The entire perimeter of the park will be lined with trees.

LaBrado reported to the board at the most recent meeting that the lead architect, MJS Design Group, submitted plans that were 90 percent complete. LaBrado and Wagar thought the plans were closer to 70-75 percent complete, although the general manager said that "the basic plans are complete."

At the last meeting, landscaping plans were 90 percent complete. The general manager hopes all the plans will be complete by the end of the month or in the beginning of November.

"We're working on two things (concurrently), planning and the financing," LaBrado said.

Once the plans are complete, the district must submit them to the city for a plan check, or a check list for the city to meet safety and building codes.

The district hopes to break ground on the park in February, and the project should take sixto-eight months to build. Even if the project runs on the long side of that estimate, the district should still have time to lay down field turf- in this case a Bermuda hybrid that is ideal for the daily wear and tear of athletic fields. The turf needs about four-to-six weeks to properly set before the park can be open for the public.

No matter how many unforeseeable delays there may or may not be, LaBrado doesn't want the district to rush the grand opening of Village the Park.

"You know you're going to hit bumps in the road," LaBrado said. "The last thing you want to do is open a park too early. If you open up too early and get on the grass and play on it, it tears it up quickly.

"It's a big step for the district and a tremendous attribute for the community. Camarillo's blessed with wonderful weather, location and people. People are going to come out here and they'll fall in love with the place."