Category Archives: City News

Businesses may sponsor and register now for Corporate Games 2017

All organizations in Ventura, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara counties–private and nonprofit businesses, schools, churches, service groups and government agencies–may sign up now for Corporate Games, SoCal’s ultimate business-to-business sports competition. Apply online at www.venturacorporategames.org or call 658.4738.

Companies who become sponsors receive discounts in entry fees as well as community recognition in print and social media. For more contact Laura Johnson at 677.3917 or [email protected].

“Every year, up to 80 companies of all sizes enter 10,000 employees of all ages and athletic abilities as players in 26 events held over six weeks–‘Just for the fun of it!’” states event coordinator and founder Eric Burton, Adult Sports Supervisor for the City of Ventura Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Partnerships, which hosts Corporate Games.

For more information contact Eric Burton at [email protected] or 658.4738 or visit Corporate Games website at www.venturacorporategames.org.

Wave goodbye to Brooks and our tax dollars

Guest Columnist
by Robert McCord, Editor in Chief- VREG

The news reported the closure of Brooks Institute. Everyone lost from this closure. The students hopefully will find other institutions to complete their education and their teachers may find other positions, but the Citizens of Ventura is again holding the proverbial bag.

In February the City announced that Brooks was coming to town. Councilwoman Heitmann led the parade extolling the prospects of increased revenue for the city.

Sites were leased; the largest was the two top floors of a 5 story city office building at 505 Poli, just behind City Hall. Tenants of those two floors were evicted.

City staff rushed to execute leases for the 505 Poli property. Brooks entered into a contract to demolish and build tenant improvements on the two top floors at a contract price of $1.2 million. Permits were fast tracked for demolition and tenant improvements. When hazardous materials were found, Building & Safety again fast tracked the work at an additional cost of $80,000. Demolition was completed and 2/3 of the tenant improvements were built. Then Brooks closed its doors and the project imploded.

Brooks Institute paid no money for rent, no money for a security deposit and no performance bonds or guarantees to the City. Reportedly, $70,000 in back rent is due. Future rents are lost. The tenant improvements have yet to be completed. The Assistant City Manager tells us that it will only cost our City $200,000 to complete those improvements. The facts have proven otherwise.

The contractor filed a lien against the City for $825,000 for the work they and the subcontractors performed on City property. Add lost rents, future rents, rents the evicted tenants would have paid and the cost swells to over $1.2 million. Then there will be the legal costs.

Brooks Institute, owned by a Chinese owned company named Gphomestay, has lawyered up with an LA firm. The citizens of Ventura deserve to know why the taxpayers are again facing a huge loss.

Dreams for healthy economic growth are wonderful, but must be tempered with economic reality and good business sense. When those are ignored the phrase “a fool and his money are soon parted” is apropos.

The City Council has a lot to explain. They were quick to ask the citizens of Ventura for more taxes in Measure O. They spent $140,000 of our tax money to convince 51% of the voters to vote yes on that Measure. Will they be as quick to take responsibility for another $1 million plus dollar loss?

Two candidates on the City Council are seeking reelection in November, Councilwomen Weir and Heitmann. They need to explain why they did not have the common sense to avoid the risk of leasing to a tenant who had demonstrated an inability to not meet their financial obligations. We must have representatives that are experienced and understand business.

We, as a community, cannot afford to hand another $270,000,000 over the next 25 years to an inept City Council. By this recent action, this City Council is not capable of managing our tax money. This was all foreseeable, based upon the financial condition and history of Brooks Institute.

VREG is continuing to investigate this transaction and will report our findings in subsequent issues as new facts are discovered.

Brooks Institute Announces Closure After 70 Years

Soon there will be many unfinished offices in Ventura to lease.

by Richard Lieberman

Brooks Institute a visual and media arts school announced on August 12, it plans to shut down operations. The school has cancelled its fall semester and will cease all operations by October 31^st according to a letter sent to Brooks students.

The letter authored by Transition Officer Kristen Howard states, “Changes in economic regulatory conditions in recent years have had a significant, prolonged, negative impact on instruction, we have attempted to mitigate the problem through contraction, strategic planning and innovation, but with only limited success. Because we do not expect the adverse conditions to change in the foreseeable future, our only responsible course of action is to proceed to closure.”

The school also has announced it will continue to offer administrative student services, and support which will include transition services through October 31^st.

According to Kristen Howard, “We are working to identify other schools that may be able to take current on transfer, or to assist with a teach-out, so those who have not graduated as of Brooks’ closure will have the opportunity to complete their program or one similar to it. We will provide additional details regarding any transfer or teach-out opportunities as soon as such details become available. “

The school was originally founded as the Brooks Institute of Photography in 1945 by Earnest Brooks Sr. The original core curriculum was developed around economics, public speaking, and business management. Brooks Sr., turned over the operation of the school to his son Ernest Brooks II, who added portraiture, underwater and scientific photography, and motion picture production.

In 1999 the Brooks Institute of Photography was sold to Career Education Corporation (CEC). CEC expanded the school which included acquisition of an 8-acre site former movie production studio in Ventura in 2002, later becoming the Ventura Campus for consolidating the entire school. In 2011 Brooks Institute moved its programs and offices to the new Ventura Campus. In 2014 it moved to the Cota Street campus in Downtown Santa Barbara, before its final move to the Ventura Campus.

Brooks had been experiencing problems with declining student enrollment, accreditation and serious financial losses since CEC had taken over. Last year Brooks was acquired by Gphomestay which specializes in finding housing for students studying abroad.

The final decision to close was made last Wednesday, just one day after Brooks president Edward Clift was ousted. Additionally, a majority of Brooks Board of Directors members resigned last week.

City of Ventura officials, property owners, and downtown business owners had been anticipating the completion of Brooks move to 6 locations within the city. The school was in process of renovating the new locations and occupation of the sites was nearing, however late in July construction was halted.

Mark Watkins, Ventura City Manager commented “obviously on behalf of the city we were very disappointed on their decision to close we got word last week like everybody else so, everybody at the city was disappointed. Brooks has been a long time partner with the city, and we were looking forward to the opportunity for them moving downtown and bring to the community opportunities and we were disappointed. We haven’t heard back specifically from Brooks since their decision to close. They weren’t keeping us posted on their decision making process. That being said we do have a lease agreement with them for the space and it has many obligations that they must meet including rental amounts and also amounts for tenant improvements We put them on notice as soon as we heard that we fully expect them to meet all of their lease obligations. We fully expect them to meet all their obligations they have with the city.” Added Watkins.

Brooks currently owes the city more than $70,000 in back rent. They also have not paid a security deposit on the building behind city hall. That lease was executed last February.

Brooks had already begun renovations on the site and it will take substantial city resources in order to make the space rentable and once again available for lease.

Donna Granata, Founder/Executive Director of Focus on the Masters, who had to relocate to a different floor behind city hall told the Breeze, “The closing of Brooks Institute is heartbreaking on so many levels. The biggest catastrophe in all of this is the effect it will have on the faculty and the students. This event will reverberate for many years to come, not only in the hundreds of lives directly associated with the campus, but at a great cost to our community. Brooks decision to move the campus to downtown Ventura was a great idea in theory, but was so poorly executed without proper planning, financial viability and a lack of transparency. What was supposed to be an economic boon for the city of Ventura, became a financial disaster for all involved.”

Christy Weir, Councilmember, Ventura “We are extremely disappointed in the closing of Brooks. Their proposed move to downtown Ventura was highly anticipated to be an economic and cultural generator. Downtown property owners who were partnering with Brooks to create an urban campus will be impacted by their sudden closing. It is fortunate that we have a thriving, desirable downtown and we look forward to continuing to attract a variety of new and exciting long-term tenants in the future”

Marlyss Auster, Executive Director Ventura Visitor & Convention Bureau “I am so sad about the Brooks news, on so many levels. The excitement of having all the Brookies downtown in an urban campus our team embraced and celebrated. We remained hopeful when the construction was stalled, now the devastating news is all just sinking in.”

Cheryl Heitmann, Councilmember commented “I met a young Brooks student today who told me he had only one semester left before graduation. And I think that is part of the disappointment I feel about Brooks closing. To make this decision so close to the start of classes seems so unfair to their students. Of course, it is a loss for our downtown. I think the vision of a downtown campus had real merit, especially for an arts school. “

The school has indicated that this week students will receive more information on the school’s closure, including Brooks’ obligations to their students. The school is opening a transition office to meet individually with each of the 350 current students to help them with the next steps in their education goals.

Help for students is also available from the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education which can offer information on similar programs, information on federal loan forgiveness, and the tuition recovery program. The recovery program will reimburse students if their school closes before they have graduated.

Carl Morehouse will not be seeking re-election

Ventura to get at least one new councilmember.

“I am announcing that I will not be seeking re-election this Fall. I am honored, humbled and grateful for the confidence voters have had in my ability to help guide this amazing city we call home since I was first elected in 1999. However, seventeen years is a long time and I wish to take a break. I am now the second longest serving Council Member behind Jim Monahan; not a record I imagined when I started this rewarding adventure. I have enjoyed my tenure on the City Council but, at this point, I am looking forward to spending time traveling with my wife and addressing other priorities that are on our “bucket list”.

“When I think back over my years as your Council Member, I am proud of the things that this community has achieved. Among those are:

The purchase and beginning of both the Community Sports Park on Kimball Avenue, and the more recent start to Kellogg Park on the West Side.
The development of an integrated paving program, wherein we evaluate the conditions of all of our streets in conjunction with the evaluation of our underground utilities, so that when we repave a street, we do it, literally from the underground up, including curbs, gutter and sidewalks and street trees.
That we now have better public noticing of projects with signage at the location of the proposals so that all of the community is aware of them.
We now have public art on utility boxes; a program that I instigated.
We made progress on dealing with plastic bags, although state law has trumped those efforts.
We undertook efforts to restore Surfer’s Point; a project I was proud to help support.
I’m grateful for the opportunity to have used my position as Mayor to aid the development of farmworker housing by bringing Kris Kristofferson to perform two benefit concerts.
And, most recently, I am proud of that the fact that the current Council has finally taken a positive step forward to deal with the homeless issue.”

“Perhaps even more than these local achievements was the opportunity to represent Ventura for over 15 years on the regional and statewide level. I have been honored to be President of the Channel Counties Division of the League of California Cities (Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties), which lead to the opportunity to serve on the state Board of Directors of the League for three years – a body looking out for city interests versus State and Federal laws. It also afforded me the opportunity to serve for 11 years on the League’s Housing, Community and Economic Development Policy Committee (which reviews pending legislation affecting cities’ Planning concerns), including chairing that important committee in 2012.”

“I have also had the honor of serving as Ventura’s representative on the Ventura County Transportation Commission for 9 years, and the Gold Coast Transit agency for 5 years, including chairing that body as it legally transformed into a District in 2014. These bodies are crucial to good transportation planning and transit opportunities in Ventura County. “

“Additionally, I have had the pleasure of serving for the past 9 years on the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo) (which oversees annexations by cities and district formations), including chairing that body this year. And I have served as the city’s representative to the Ventura Council of Governments (VCOG) for 15 years, including as chair in 2007.”

“Finally, and most honorific, my Council seat afforded me the opportunity to serve as President of the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) during 2014 – a seat never held previously by a Venturan in SCAG’s 50 years of existence — after having been on that body for 15 years, including chairing one of their important policy committees. This body is the largest transportation planning agency in the U.S., representing 39,000 square miles of Southern California, six counties, 190 cities and 18 million people. This truly was an honor.”

“And in all of those capacities, I have been proud to represent Ventura and to protect our interests as both a charter city and in a regional context. For all of that, I feel a bit guilty pulling the plug because it takes a great deal of time to build those relationships and earn the respect of my peers, many of who I know in those organizations who are still begging me to stay.”

“There are many things still to be done. Most regrettably, I’m sad that we did not make better progress on capping the freeway. But, as that is a long term project, I am committed to remain active however I can to take the next steps in that direction. And the continuing refinement of our growth/no growth issues, including development standards and process refinement will proceed, although this will deprive me of a vote on that issue. I’m also saddened that we couldn’t have found a more sensitive way to deal with medical marijuana issues than simply criminalizing everyone. But state law may soon define that for us as well.”

“But that being said, I will be taking a slight break from politics for a while to refresh myself and enjoy quality time with my wife. This doesn’t mean I’m going away, or becoming any less interested in politics or Ventura’s future, but it does mean that I will have far fewer staff reports to read every week, and more freedom in my schedule to actually travel and not worry about missing meetings.”

Again, thank you all who have endorsed me and voted for me in the past. I will still be with you on those causes that are important to this city, just not right out in front. It has truly been both an honor and a privilege to serve both as your Mayor and as a Councilmember. Peace.

Carl E. Morehouse, AICP

Andrews resigns from Ventura County Republican Central Committee

“I am herewith resigning from my position as a member of the Ventura County Republican Central Committee. Over the last number of years I have found the failure of leadership of the Republican Party to be tremendously disappointing. The de facto elevation of Donald Trump to the titular leadership of the National Republican Party as a consequence of his selection as the Party Presidential nominee is an abomination. In the process the Republican Party leadership has subscribed to the embrace of a philosophy of fear, anger, cynicism, meanness, and ignorance instead of statesmanship and honor. I cannot be a part of this betrayal of the fundamental principles of the traditional Republican Party — limited government, fiscal responsibility, individual liberties, civil rights, fundamental moral values, and responsible patriotism.”

Neal Andrews

Vol. 9, No. 23 – August 17 – August 30, 2016 – City Classes

City classes

City of Ventura Barranca Vista Imagination Center classes check out hundreds more on our web-site. Call 658-4726 or 654-7552 to register, if you already have an ACTIVENET account online, visit www.cityofventura.net
Classes and events held at the Barranca Vista Center ~ 7050 Ralston Street in Ventura unless otherwise noted

East Coast Swing for Youth 7-11 years
8/20-10/1 Saturdays 2-3 pm $69 #6456
Learn how to move to new music and classics with high energy triple time swing! Parents must attend first class to fill out paperwork and enter the studio when dropping off and picking up children. No class 9/3. Classes held at House of Dance, 3007 Bunsen Ave, Suite E.

Dance & Date Night 18 years-adult
8/21-10/2 Sundays $69/person #6461
Visit www.pmhouseofdance.com and determine–by hour (5 to 8 pm) and session–the dance(s) you want to learn (Tango, West Coast Swing, Cha Cha or Waltz, East Coast Swing, Rumba, Night-Club Two Step or Country Two Step). Then register using the session codes below. No class 9/4. Classes held at House of Dance, 3007 Bunsen Ave, Suite E.

Ladybug & Her Buggy Buddies 3-6 years
8/22 Saturday 10-11 am $12 Parent+Child #6516
Dress up as insects and learn about their incredible world through puppets, songs, nature craft and more! Instructor Rosey Calvillo. Meet at Arroyo Verde Park Center at Day and Foothill Rd. To register call (805) 658-4726.

Pottery and Ceramic Hand Building 14 years-adult
8/24-9/28 Wednesdays 6:15-8:15 pm $105+$10 materials fee #6424
Create your own ceramic art as you pinch, coil and use slab construction methods, glaze and decorate. Instructor Kim Clarke.

Learn Digital Photography (Beginning/Intermediate) 16 years-adult
8/27 Saturday 3-6 pm $65 #6426
Build up your understanding of digital photography from basic concepts through advanced techniques including camera use, lenses, equipment, tripods, understanding exposure and composition.

Vol. 9, No. 22 – August 3 – August 16, 2016 – City classes

August City of Ventura Imagination camps and events
Call 658-4726 or 654-7552 to register, if you already have an ACTIVENET account online, visit www.cityofventura.net
All held at the Barranca Vista Center ~ 7050 Ralston Street unless otherwise noted.

JediCraft Adventure Game Using LEGO® 5-7 years
8/8-8/12 M-F 9 am-12 pm $190 #5822
Build the Star Wars Universe. Craft a Pod Racer or Droid or create the Treehouse Village of Endor! This novice Play-Well LEGO® game is inspired by the Minecraft tablet game and the Star Wars fantasy setting. Camp held at the Bible Fellowship Church, 6950 E Ralston St.

JediCraft Survival Game Using LEGO® 8-12 years
8/8-8/12 M-F 1-4 pm $190 #5823
Build a Starship, craft Light Sabers and use the Force to survive Empire attacks. This advanced Play-Well LEGO® game is inspired by the Minecraft tablet game and the Star Wars fantasy setting. Camp held at the Bible Fellowship Church, 6950 E Ralston St.

Billy Clower Cheer Camp 6-12 years
8/8-8/12 M-F 9:30 am-12:30 pm $130 #5861
Learn Hip Hop dancing, jumping, tumbling, motion and stunt performance and team building skills as you make friends and cheer crafts. Camp held at Billy Clower Dance Studio, 75 MacMillan Ave.

Rock & Roll High Music Camps 6-12 years
8/8-8/12 M-F 9 am-3 pm $299+$25 materials fee #5802
Form your own rock band, write a song, make a CD, do a photo shoot and music video, with a performance for the parents on Friday. All experience levels welcome. At Arroyo Verde Park Center.

Fun-gineering, Mix-ups and More 6-9 years
8/8-8/12 M-F 9 am-12 pm $179+$35 materials fee #5832
See how science is used to build skyscrapers, bridges and tunnels. Learn about chemical reactions, how film captures light and explore the nature of birds, beasts and bugs.

Food Network Favorites 7-12 years
8/15-8/19 M-F 1-4 pm $120+$35 materials fee #7097
Each day will center on a different Food Network show! Be both competitor and judge as you enjoy your and fellow campers’ Iron Chef, Chopped and Cupcake Wars creations.

Mindstorms Robotics 8-12 years
8/15-8/18 M-Th 1-4 pm $155 #5846
Build, program and test a robot! Show it off for parents and friends on final day. Instructors Rich & Joan Borgioli.

Comic Book Camp 8-12 years
8/15-8/19 M-F 9 am-12 pm $120 #5804
Bam! Pow! Crunch! Explore the Golden Age of comics as you create your own characters, action and pages with cartooning master Mr. Scott. Camp held at the Bible Fellowship Church, 6950 E Ralston St
Brixology 8-12 years
8/15-8/19 M-F 9 am-12 pm $179+$35 materials fee #5833
Learn about aerospace and mechanical engineering as you team up to construct different projects using LEGO® bricks. Solve real-world design challenges such as carnival rides, drawing machines, mechanical animals and truss bridges.

Art at the Islands 9-18 years
8/15 Monday 11:30 am-5 pm $20+ $43 boat fee #6627
Meet at Island Packers in Ventura 1691 Spinnaker Drive at 11:30 am for our visit to Scorpion Cove on Santa Cruz Island. On the Island we will draw architecture, flora and fauna and the ocean. We will be back in port by 5 pm. All reservations must be made ahead of time no day of reservations accepted. Instructor Catherine Broger.

Fairytales in the Park FREE PERFORMANCES for Families
8/13 Saturday 4pm FREE
Fairytales in the Park is celebrating its 22nd season! Join us at Barranca Vista Park for a production of The Snow Queen 2: Trouble in Arendelle. Performances are the 2nd Saturday of every month. Bring a blanket, picnic and low lawn chairs. 7050 Ralston St. For more information call 805-654-7553

Planting trees and using recycled water, for Ventura’s future

Filling the “gator bag” with recycled water to maintain our beautiful community landscape.

Article and photo by the City of Ventura.

Imagine your neighborhood without a single tree. Or your favorite park, hiking trail, or beachfront promenade without the aesthetics and shade of our urban forest. Much of Ventura’s charm and character are the result of our beautiful community landscape that is fundamental to our health.

Trees improve our quality of life and environment in several important ways. They help clean the air by “catching” airborne pollutants such as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, and by producing oxygen which helps replace the oxygen we, and our vehicles, consume. Planting trees remains one of the least expensive, most effective means of drawing excess CO? from the atmosphere. Trees also cool our streets, lowering temperatures in the shade by about 10 degrees. Aesthetically, street trees unify a streetscape and provide visual interest for pedestrians and motorists. Large, mature street trees are considered the most important indicator of attractiveness in a community. We are trying out best to promote the idea of the carbon negative purchase to those who visit our stores, so we can continue our trend of creating a pollution and CO2 free environment.

Ventura’s Parks and Recreation Department is responsible for more than 30,000 city trees, and during the last year it added 225 new trees to our tree inventory citywide. These, along with trees on private property and in the city’s Barranca make up the rich and varied mosaic that is Ventura’s urban forest.

Mature and newly established trees can be responsibly maintained during drought conditions. Ventura’s Urban Forestry Program uses approximately 24,000 gallons of recycled water each month to water newly planted city trees. City trees that receive recycled water are easily identified by the “gator bags” wrapped around their base with a purple sticker which reads, “Irrigated with Recycled Water. Do not drink. No beber.” The City also uses recycled water at the golf courses along Olivas Park Drive and the Marina Park area, for irrigating trees and landscape areas at the historic Olivas Adobe and for landscaping areas at the Ventura Harbor hotels.

In June, Ventura Water launched the Residential Recycled Water Mobile Reuse Program – a new tool to help homeowners keep their landscape alive during the drought. The program provides customers with high quality recycled water which is strictly monitored to ensure it meets quality standards for all non-potable uses. Customers can obtain recycled water after attending a free training class at the Ventura Water Reclamation Facility and paying an annual $75 permit fee; after which they may pick up 5 to 300 gallons of recycled water per visit, for use with landscape irrigation, dust control or soil compaction.

Sign-up by calling Customer Care at 667-6500 or visit www.cityofventura.net/water/mobile-reuse-program. In celebration of the City’s 150th birthday, the first 150 participants will receive a complimentary 20-gallon tree “gator bag”. This program allows our community to reuse as much recycled water as possible and supports our goal of providing a safe, reliable and adequate water supply today, tomorrow and into the future.

Ventura Avenue $1.9M paving project improves safety

Citywide, there are many streets throughout our neighborhoods that are in need of repair. Photo by Breezy Gledhill

by City staff

The City of Ventura is making significant improvements to Ventura Avenue, from Santa Clara Street to Dakota Drive. By the end of the summer, the work will be completed and Ventura Avenue will have two miles of new street pavement surface, paint striping and repairs to the sidewalk, curb and gutters. The restriping of the roadway will also include bike “sharrows” to improve bike safety, as well as green bike lanes and bike box treatments. In addition to the street re-paving, 95 access ramps will be replaced and/or retrofitted bringing them up to ADA compliance.

The much-needed Ventura Avenue paving project is already drawing praise from residents, businesses and commuters by providing safety improvements that help move traffic along the Avenue with greater ease. It can also improve the appearance of the area as well, especially if the current paving has seen its fair share of wear and tear. Companies similar to Calvac Paving will be able to help give your concrete maintenance the due care and attention it requires to help make the roads safer for everyone again. Maintenance for this core infrastructure that helps us carry out our daily routines comes with a hefty price tag, to the tune of $1.9M for this project.

Why does it cost so much to maintain our streets? The cost of pavement repairs has substantially increased over the years due to increased cost of materials and labor to perform the work. In the past, the City relied on a combination of state, and Federal gas tax funding to pay for road maintenance. However, statewide funding through bond measures and Federal gas tax that has been available in the past for maintaining the City’s sidewalks and roads has been reduced over time.

The City now only receives its local share of State gas tax funds at about $2.3M per year. In addition to gas tax funds, the City provides $1.2M for street maintenance out of the General Fund (the same fund that pays for police, fire, parks, programs for seniors and youth, and other critical services) for a total of $3.5M in annual funding. However, the City needs $10.4M per year to maintain its roads at their current level.

Citywide, there are many streets throughout our neighborhoods that are in need of repair. The cost of fixing a road is determined by its condition, and the longer we wait to fix them the more they cost. Our Pavement Condition Index, which is used to indicate the condition of a specific section of road pavement, is currently 69 and is expected to drop to 61 by the year 2021.

Well-maintained streets are among the most important public assets and maintenance must be done regularly. The City utilizes available funding for street maintenance in the most cost effective manner for the greatest long term value. Continuing to take good care of our local roads enhances economic development competitiveness, provides safe mobility and improves quality of life for Ventura residents and visitors.

CHDC and Aera helping Ventura to construct Kellogg Park

On March 12, 2016 Kellogg Park held a groundbreaking ceremony attended by dignitaries and well-wishers.

The California Department of Housing and Community Development (CHDC), through its Housing Related Parks (HRP) Program, is awarding the City of Ventura a $230,800 grant towards the construction of Kellogg Park, located on Ventura Ave.

Aera Energy LLC is also supporting the development of Kellogg Park by donating $30,000 to help build the park. Aera has been involved in helping Ventura’s Westside neighborhood as an active partner in many other of the community’s projects.

HRP is an innovative California Department of Housing and Community Development program designed to reward local governments with grant funds to create or rehabilitate parks in cities that approve housing for lower-income households and are in compliance with State housing element laws.

The park design calls for two playground areas, one for 2 to 5 year olds and another for 6 to 12 year olds. Other amenities will include outdoor fitness equipment, bike racks, a 0.25-mile walking path with mile markers, an amphitheater, a drought tolerant grassy play area/open space and 1.75 acres of native plantings.

These funds brings the total raised so far for Kellogg Park to $2.2 million. To complete the park $4.3 million is needed and a fundraising campaign is currently underway with donations accepted at www.cityofventura.net/KelloggPark or contact Katrina Maksimuk at 658-4775, [email protected]. Construction is expected to begin in early fall of 2016 with an anticipated completion date of December 2017.

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