Along Our Border: GT NW End...

Conservancy abandons funding for regional park

Stephen Wall, Staff Writer San Bernardino County Sun
Article Launched:06/14/2007 12:00:00 AM PDT


COLTON - A key player in the drive to build the county's first regional park in more than 25 years has pulled out of the project.


The Wildlands Conservancy, an Oak Glen-based nonprofit public benefit corporation, will not offer any financial support for the park because of a dispute with the city.

Without the group's participation, the future of the park appears bleak, county officials said.
The conservancy's decision comes a week after a contentious City Council meeting at which the group's executive director asked the council to embrace the roughly 100-acre park at its proposed site along the Santa Ana River.

But Mayor Kelly Chastain and Councilman John Mitchell refused to give their full endorsement.

They said the city needed to explore relocation of the park and look into other economic development opportunites for the property where the park was proposed.
That prompted David Myers, the conservancy's executive director, to pull the plug on his group's involvement.


"Since the City Council's discussion to explore another location put the $400,000 we donated for the Master Plan at risk of being wasted, (the conservancy) has decided that it is best for our organization to formally withdraw future funding for this project," Myers wrote Monday in a letter to county Supervisor Josie Gonzales.

"(The conservancy) will spend these private funds on a youth facility at Fairmount Park in the city of Riverside, where the mayor and city council members support the project."
Myers said he still hopes the regional park comes to fruition. But county parks officials say that is unlikely without the conservancy's financial backing.


In addition to contributing the $400,000 to develop a park Master Plan, the conservancy spent $320,000 to buy the first 17 acres for the park. The group donated the land to the county.
If the park is not built, the county must transfer ownership of the land back to the conservancy. If that happens, the conservancy will sell the land and use the proceeds on other projects, Myers said.

Myers said the group also had agreed to buy about 50 acres of land owned by the Riverside Public Utilities Department for the park.


County officials said it would be very difficult to build an adequate regional park if the 50 acres running through the center of the property are excluded.

The conservancy also was instrumental in securing $10 million in state park bond money for the county that was slated to be spent on the Colton regional park.


If the park is relocated and new plans have to be drawn up, the resulting delays will force the county to shift the money to other projects that are farther along in the development process, county officials said.

Gonzales, whose fifth supervisorial district includes Colton, said she was "very disappointed" that the partnership with the conservancy has "dissolved."

But she held out hope that the park can be saved.


"It all depends on the city of Colton," Gonzales said Wednesday. "The city of Colton has to first of all want the project. When you want something, you fight for it and you find ways to make it happen. If that is on the city's agenda as a priority, I am willing to work with them."
Chastain said she was "perplexed and confused" by the conservancy's decision.

"We never said we didn't want the regional park to be in Colton," she said. "We are just exploring our options to see what's in the best interest of our residents."

Chastain said she is trying to set up a meeting for the parties to resolve their differences and hopefully revive the project.


"I feel like the Wildlands Conservancy is jumping the gun before we have a chance to get to the table and talk sensibly about it," she said.

Sixth District Councilman Isaac Suchil, who represents the area where the park is proposed, said the loss of the park would be devastating to the city's efforts to boost its economy and provide recreational opportunities.


"If we lose this park, we'll end up paying for it for years to come," Suchil said.
Contact writer Stephen Wall at (909) 386-3916 or via
e-mail at stephen.wall@sbsun.com.

ADDED THOUGHT:

The Property on the NW Corner of Grand Terrace, part of which was slated to be Manhole Builders should be Designated as Park with access to the Bike Trail and the County Park if not extended into the Park itself.

County Parks offer opportunity for business to provide services to park users. Park users would also visit our local stores and restaurants.