Park District

Several new adult classes are being offered this fall through the Conejo Recreation and Park District. Mail-in registration is now being accepted; walk-in registration begins Sept. 8. The new classes include: * Financial strategies for successful retirement. Begins Sept. 22. $49 for four weeks. * Magic and mentalism. Begins Sept. 23. $30 for five weeks. * Acrylic painting and drawing. Begins Sept. 24. $52 for eight weeks. * Techniques of gardening. Begins Sept. 25. $5 for four weeks.

Congressman Ken Calvert said Monday that published reports indicating that he is under investigation by the FBI for his involvement in a disputed land deal were untrue. "I have never been contacted by the FBI, and they have not contacted any of our partners," said Calvert, a Republican from Carona. FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said she could neither confirm nor deny whether the agency was investigating Calvert. The Associated Press, which had reported that Calvert was under investigation, said Monday that its published story was erroneous.

The Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District received a $71,000 federal grant to develop a trail system throughout Challenger Park, officials said Friday. "We are very pleased," said park district spokesman Rick Johnson. "It's going to open up a really beautiful area in the hills south of Simi Valley to hikers." Johnson said the grant, administered by the California Department of Parks and Recreation, is competitive.

Ethan Coon was working to develop good posture and strengthen his core muscles, though from all his wiggling and giggling you would hardly know it. By the time he hit potty break, the 2-year-old and his classmates had bounced on a mini trampoline, rolled on their bellies on scooters and crawled through mazes. The children were participating in a park district class that uses preschool playtime to teach good habits in posture and movement and prevent sports-related injuries later in life.

Thanks to a brother and sister who owned a drive-in movie theater in Simi Valley for decades, the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District will receive 13.2 acres that very likely will be used to extend some trails in the 136-acre Tierra Rejada park. Bruce Corwin and his sister Bonnie Fuller donated the land near Tierra Rejada Road and Stargaze Place, said Al Church, park district general manager. "This is going to give us the ability to connect a couple of trails around there," Church said.

A 3 1/4-acre parcel on Rancho Road north of Hillcrest Drive, which had been considered for a public equestrian center, has been sold to a private party, park officials said. Conejo Recreation and Park District planners initially evaluated the land, owned by Welling Trust and worth nearly $1 million, as a neighborhood park site.

The City Council has allocated $53,600 to a Fairfield-based consulting firm to coordinate a mail-in ballot to determine whether property owners support establishing an assessment district for city parks. Shilts Consultants Inc. will coordinate the special election aimed at offsetting an expected $800,000 budget shortfall in fiscal 1999-2000. Property owners will vote through a mail-in ballot system that is weighted based on property value. A majority is necessary for passage.

The Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District will meet today at 4 p.m. to consider buying a former Simi Valley elementary school for $1.2 million. If the park district buys the 13-acre Belwood Elementary site, it probably would allow tenants--which include private preschools and two church groups--to continue leasing the space for another three years while park directors figure out what to do with the property, General Manager Jerry Gladden said.

After an absence of about three years, city government will resume issuing a periodic newsletter to residents this summer. The City Council voted this week to restore the newsletter, combining it with the existing park and recreation brochure. City staff estimated the cost of the combined newsletter and brochure will be about $43,000, with the park district paying $34,400 and the city paying $8,600.

Weighing in on a long-standing property dispute between the park district and a Simi Valley couple, a federal court judge on Monday gave the go-ahead for the homeowners to take the district to court. In 1992, Gary and Deborah Moss set out to put up a new fence in their backyard, along what they thought was their property line. They knew the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District owned the adjoining land, so they sent the district a letter outlining their plans.

With an election drawing near, Linda Parks' critics are hitting her hard for what they say is the Ventura County supervisor's closed mind and stubbornness. But it's just that tenacity that appeals to supporters of the former Thousand Oaks councilwoman, who is seeking a second term. Take the question of the nesting birds. In early spring, county flood-control managers sought the board's approval to clear trees and brush from a creek in Parks' district.

Every spring and fall, as millions of birds migrate, Robbie L. Hunsinger steps up her patrol of the city in search of injured wildlife. She and dozens of other volunteer Chicago Bird Collision Monitors try to help the many birds that slam into skyscrapers each year, stunning themselves and often falling to their deaths. "We had 100 bird rescues in one day last fall," Hunsinger said. "We had over 400 rescues last fall. Clearly we have a problem with injured birds."

An attorney's wish to create a park across the Mississippi River from St. Louis' Gateway Arch will soon become a reality. Malcolm Woods Martin, who died last year at 91, had bought 34 acres along the river and erected a fountain that shot water nearly as high as the 630-foot monument. Officials dedicated the land as a park in the impoverished community, a key part of the revitalization of the East St. Louis riverfront.

A memorial plaque will be dedicated this morning along with a hiking trail in honor of Michael F. Clark, the only Simi Valley police officer killed in the line of duty in the department's 33-year history. The Michael Clark Memorial Overlook Trail is part of nearly 160 acres of open space that Parker Ranch developers donated to the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District. The park district is dedicating the memorial plaque and trail at the request of the developers.

Seeking to avoid a lawsuit, Simi Valley park officials plan to sell a 12-foot cross that has stood atop Mt. McCoy on the city's west end for more than 60 years. For some, the cross is a cherished piece of the valley's history; for others it is a religious symbol unsuited for public property.

A Chicago couple filed a federal lawsuit this week after the Chicago Park District rejected their proposed inscription on a commemorative brick because it contained a religious message. When their local park district announced a "buy a brick" fund-raising campaign for a new playground last fall, Mildred and Robert Tong wrote a check for $50 and filled out a form for the brick's inscription: "Missy, EB, and Baby: Jesus is the cornerstone. Love, Mom & Dad." A few days later, on Oct.

The Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District's budget for next year is expected to increase more than $1.5 million, largely as a result of a ballot measure passed by voters in March. The district board will formally vote on the $24.1-million budget at its May 18 meeting.

The superintendent of Ventura County's highest-performing school district will leave her post next year for a job helping struggling campuses nationwide. Marilyn Lippiatt, who has headed Oak Park Unified School District for a decade, announced she will resign in March to join a Redlands firm that provides educational services to schools in California and across the country. "I have no reason to leave," Lippiatt said.

The soccer fields at Conejo Creek Park south are a mess. The ground is bumpy, the turf is dug up and the chalked boundary lines are barely visible. "There is like no grass," soccer player Wendy Weissberg, 14, said as she sat on the sidelines, watching her Westlake High School teammates compete. The field is "really hard and it's all dirt. Sometimes the dirt gets in your eyes and you can't see." Simi Valley parent Kathy Penn has safety concerns.