Agoura Hills Ca Public Facilities

Ron Troncatty recalls that back in 1984, when he began telling people about his dream of a new city park, they told him he was crazy. Troncatty, then vice president of the Old Agoura Homeowners Assn., wanted to arrange a land swap: the 2.75-acre city-owned site on which the old park was situated for another tract down the street, a nine-acre parcel owned by a developer. "It's not normally done, trading property like that," Troncatty said.

Sheila Kuehl said she held her breath early Friday afternoon as she scanned the list of items that Gov. Pete Wilson had cut from the state budget at the eleventh hour. "It's sort of like looking at a casualty list," said Kuehl (D-Santa Monica), the speaker pro tem of the California Assembly. To her relief, the line item she was searching for had survived the governor's fabled blue pencil.

Sheila Kuehl said she held her breath early Friday afternoon as she scanned the list of items that Gov. Pete Wilson had cut from the state budget at the eleventh hour. "It's sort of like looking at a casualty list," said Kuehl (D-Santa Monica), the speaker pro tem of the California Assembly. To her relief, the line item she was searching for had survived the governor's fabled blue pencil.

Planners of the Agoura Hills/Calabasas Community Center may get a much-needed financial boost if a request by Assembly Speaker Pro Tem Sheila Kuehl (D-Santa Monica) for state funding is approved. Kuehl has introduced a motion requesting $500,000 in funding for the center in the state's 1997/98 budget. Although it is too soon to celebrate, local city leaders said they are heartened that the center has received some attention at the state level.

Senior citizens living in and around Calabasas and Agoura Hills will finally get a place of their own. The city councils of both communities recently agreed to allocate $90,000 each of 1997-98 federal Community Development Block Grant funds to establish a room in the new Community Center to accommodate senior programs, officials said.

Planners of the Agoura Hills/Calabasas Community Center may get a much-needed financial boost if a request by Assembly Speaker Pro Tem Sheila Kuehl (D-Santa Monica) for state funding is approved. Kuehl has introduced a motion requesting $500,000 in funding for the center in the state's 1997/98 budget. Although it is too soon to celebrate, local city leaders said they are heartened that the center has received some attention at the state level.

Slowly but surely, Agoura Hills' new city park is taking shape. Construction began Monday on a playground and barbecue area, officials said. The work is expected to be completed by the end of April. "It's going wonderful," said Audrey Brown, the city's director of community services. "It's been a real positive thing for the community." The 10-acre Old Agoura Park, at 5301 Chesebro Road, replaces a smaller park nearby.

Agoura Hills and Calabasas officials have selected four consulting firms as finalists to manage construction of a regional gymnasium and community center. The four companies--Nello Group of North Hollywood; Picon Inc. of Encino; CBM Consulting Inc. of Los Angeles, and CMTS Inc. of Culver City--will be interviewed by officials from the two cities in May, said Greg Johnson, Calabasas' director of community services.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a plan to transfer $2 million in county park funds to a community center in Agoura Hills and a new park in Calabasas. The funds are what remains of $3 million set aside by a county park bond measure to refurbish a recreation center in Calabasas.

Calabasas officials are considering spending about $1.2 million to help build a regional library in Agoura Hills that would serve both communities. The 25,000-square-foot facility would be built on donated land in Agoura Hills and be stocked and staffed by Los Angeles County after construction. Agoura Hills would pay about 80% of the estimated $5.8 million in construction costs--money the city had already planned to spend to build a 21,500-square-foot facility.

Senior citizens living in and around Calabasas and Agoura Hills will finally get a place of their own. The city councils of both communities recently agreed to allocate $90,000 each of 1997-98 federal Community Development Block Grant funds to establish a room in the new Community Center to accommodate senior programs, officials said.

City officials will soon begin reviewing proposals submitted by architects vying for the job of designing the Agoura Hills/Calabasas Community Center. The center, a joint project of the two cities, will be the focal point of recreation and programs for local youth, city officials said. At a meeting of the Agoura Hills City Council on Wednesday night, council members learned that 20 architectural firms had submitted applications.

Agoura Hills and Calabasas officials have selected four consulting firms as finalists to manage construction of a regional gymnasium and community center. The four companies--Nello Group of North Hollywood; Picon Inc. of Encino; CBM Consulting Inc. of Los Angeles, and CMTS Inc. of Culver City--will be interviewed by officials from the two cities in May, said Greg Johnson, Calabasas' director of community services.

Slowly but surely, Agoura Hills' new city park is taking shape. Construction began Monday on a playground and barbecue area, officials said. The work is expected to be completed by the end of April. "It's going wonderful," said Audrey Brown, the city's director of community services. "It's been a real positive thing for the community." The 10-acre Old Agoura Park, at 5301 Chesebro Road, replaces a smaller park nearby.

The city of Agoura Hills will hold a dedication ceremony Dec. 13 for the newly renovated Forest Cove Park. The newly installed playground equipment, which brings the park in compliance with the federal Americans With Disabilities Act, cost $49,000, paid for through federal community development block grants, said Audrey Brown, the city's director of community services. The equipment, resembling a tiny village, with slides and other play features, is set in sand, she said.

The cities of Agoura Hills and Calabasas are moving forward with plans for a $3-million regional gymnasium and community center. Agoura Hills has selected six representatives to a 15-member design committee, which will hold its first meeting Oct. 17 at Agoura Hills City Hall. Calabasas is expected to choose six representatives tonight at City Hall.

With a unanimous vote, the neighboring cities of Agoura Hills and Calabasas have moved forward on a joint project to build a gymnasium and community center to serve their region. At an unusual meeting of both city councils last week, the proposal to pool Los Angeles County bond money available to both cities to build a gym behind the Lost Hills/Malibu Sheriff's Station got a 10-0 vote, said Calabasas Community Services Director Greg Johnson.

After months of negotiations, the cities of Calabasas and Agoura Hills have succeeded in obtaining from Los Angeles County a 4.5-acre parcel of land that the cities want to use for a regional community center and gymnasium. Supervisor Ed Edelman has been trying to persuade the county to donate the land to the cities, but Supervisor Gloria Molina and other county officials have been reluctant, saying the fiscally strapped county should not be giving valuable land away.

Nobody in the crowd objected when Ron Troncatty suggested that he and his horse, Hot Wheels, lead the parade into the Agoura Hills' new equestrian facility. After all, the project was, as everyone knew, the realization of his longtime dream. And so, the man and his appaloosa became the first to officially set hoof in the arena during ribbon-cutting festivities Saturday. Agoura Hills now has bragging rights to a state-of-the-art equestrian center. "It felt wonderful," Troncatty said.

The cities of Calabasas and Agoura Hills will hold ceremonies Saturday for new parks in their communities. Agoura Hills will mark the completion of its newly completed equestrian facility at 5301 Chesebro Road with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. Calabasas will hold a groundbreaking at 2 p.m. for its planned Juan Bautista de Anza Park, which is at Las Virgenes and Lost Hills roads. The Old Agoura Park Equestrian Facility is the first phase of a 10-acre park that will replace a smaller park nearby.