Recreational Centers

Since acquiring four recreation centers from the Mission Viejo Co. last year for about $3.1 million, city staff has been trying to figure out exactly how to run the facilities. On June 16, residents will have a chance to give their opinions on how the centers should be operated. A 6:30 p.m. public meeting on the centers will be held at City Hall, 26522 La Alameda.

As incentives go, the four recreation centers built by the Mission Viejo Co. in the 1970s to lure home buyers to the company's fledgling community were a powerful attraction--part of the builder's "California Promise" of a better lifestyle. Now, two decades later, the recreation centers are getting frayed around the edges, and with the city nearly built out, the Mission Viejo Co. is moving on.

Palmdale officials said Monday that they hope to open a long-delayed indoor recreation center by the end of the year, financing the project with $2 million from city redevelopment funds. The city plans to renovate a former toy store and turn it into a youth-oriented center that would include a full basketball court, two smaller basketball courts and areas for aerobics, exercise and studying, according to a city staff report.

Police were searching Sunday for suspects in the shooting death of a Panorama City man whose body was found Saturday night near Sepulveda Recreation Center at Parthenia Street and Kester Avenue. The 28-year-old man, whose name was not released pending notification of relatives, was found about 11:15 p.m. near the baseball fields on the east side of the park, Los Angeles Police Sgt. Ted Hanson said. Hanson said the man was shot once in the upper torso.

Construction of a Covered 8,000-square-foot, water-oriented recreation center is planned for early 1986, according to a spokeswoman for Desert Shadows RV Resort in Cathedral City. A 72-foot pool, 25-person spa with fountain, barbecue, fireplace and wet bar areas are included.

Sylmar Recreation Center will be renamed the Howard Finn Community Building in memory of the late northeast San Fernando Valley councilman, the Los Angeles Board of Recreation and Parks Commissioners decided Friday. The renaming was proposed by a number of Sylmar community activists and supported by Councilman Ernani Bernardi, who gained a large part of Finn's old district, including Sylmar, in last year's council redistricting.

His jacket covering the patches of sweat spreading on his dress shirt, Mayor Richard Riordan joined other city officials Thursday in opening a new community policing center at Valley Plaza Recreation Center, the first such center in a San Fernando Valley park. "We should all be proud of this place," said Riordan, who showed up early for the dedication ceremony and opted to get into a two-on-two pickup basketball game before the event. The mayor's side lost 10-8.