2007-12-11·westranchbeacon.com · WordPress (West Ranch Beacon)·Wayback capture

Plans for 140 Acre Hiking Park Considered by City

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Parks City of Santa Clarita Local

The city plans to buy 140 acres of wilderness on the edge of the Angeles National Forest, land once contaminated by toxic waste left years ago by a defense contractor. The Santa Clarita City Council will vote tonight on a plan to spend $2.5 million for the former Special Devices Inc. property on Placerita Canyon Road and Sand Canyon Road reports the Daily News.

Meanwhile, the state Department of Toxic Substances Control is awaiting results due in January on what is expected to be a final groundwater test from monitoring wells on the property, Ken Payne, the DTSC project manager for the SDI site, said Monday.

“There’s really nothing there any more,” Payne said. “It’s going to be a nice hiking park for the city.”

The site is eyed as a piece of the ring of wilderness planners hope to preserve around the city, said Barbara Stoll, acquisition specialist for Santa Clarita. The initial payment would come from the city’s new open space assessment on property owners.

“There’s a lot of good habitat up there and some connectivity to the forest and wildlife corridors,” Stoll said. The region is home to deer, bobcats, skunks and mountain lions.

If the purchase is approved by the council, terms of escrow would include removal of any structures, Stoll said.

Thomas F. Treinen Sr., a former SDI owner who now co-owns the property, said in written comments relayed by his lawyer that the only remnants of SDI operations on the property are an old wooden water tank and some access roads.

Read it here: Plans for 140 Acre Hiking Park Considered

Comments

1 · as published

Mike Middleton
Mike Middleton Says: December 17th, 2007 at 5:05 pm This City Council is a joke. Transparency is not the norm. Here is some history on the recent Placerita Canyon purchase. Article from the 2005 Signal interviewing the Southwells. The open space issue was a scam. Jim: The fire did not reach that area. So we have a need to expand the park. We’re maxed out right now in terms of parking and so forth. My vision is to acquire the property to the east, build a new nature center up there and museum, retain the current the facilities we have, which would be for animal care and training, and bring the schools in and connect the two together — which would give us about a four-mile distance in terms of one end of the park to another. Signal: What is the acreage right now? Diane: Three-hundred twenty acres. We feel that 10 years, 20 years from now, if we don’t somehow find more money to acquire more property around it, the Nature Center will be surrounded by housing tracts. And we know what happens. The traffic and the congestion (will) destroy that lovely area — Walker Ranch is where the Scouts come to do their weekend camp-outs and things. And can you imagine them camping out with a traffic light nearby, and sirens and dogs barking and things. That would destroy the nature of it. That’s why we think, looking far in advance, there really is a need to acquire it. We’ve talked to city, county people; everybody agrees; it’s just that nobody has money in their pockets. And everybody has their needs, too. I mean, as far as Supervisor Antonovich’s district is concerned, he’s got needs in Palmdale, Lancaster and other areas, too. And we’re just one area. Signal: Wasn’t there some nearby open space coming through the Golden Valley Ranch project? Diane: Yes. We will have 900 acres from that. That will be dedicated to the city of Santa Clarita as open space in perpetuity. Next to that is Disney’s Golden Oak Ranch, and some day — the day is going to come that it will be too noisy there, too much light intrusion, for (Disney) to continue doing what they’re doing. I know at one time they were even talking about some hotels and golf courses up close to Highway 14, and once again, that’s a threat to the Nature Center, too. And it’s long term, but it’s certainly something that we would like to see everybody get to thinking about, and everybody taking some action on it. So we’re here to stir the pot. Signal: Is the Golden Valley Ranch open space area adjacent to the park? Jim: Yes, it is. In fact, it’s right at the very eastern edge of it. There’s a slice on the southern side of Highway 14. Most of it is along Placerita Canyon (Road). Most of it is on the northern side of it. But there is a large, pristine area which is on the southern side, which will be part of the city. So the city is going to have a patch of land right next to the county park. Signal: Are there plans for connecting trails or a joint operation or that sort of thing? Jim: We would like to think that will happen. Diane: And actually since it’s an open space area, there will not be large things done with it. There will not be nature centers built on it or things like that. But trails, hiking and horse trails — the Sand Canyon community has been very cooperative, as far as getting horse trails laid out and things like that, because they love to go through that area, too. Signal: What inspired you two to get involved with Placerita park? Jim: Diane has always been involved. She was one of the citizens there at the original dedication in 1971. Diane: With (former County Supervisor) Warren Dorn and (local historian) A.B. Perkins. Jim: I was a typical working husband who drove to the San Fernando Valley. I would drive (by) Placerita park every day, going down Sand Canyon. I enjoyed the drive, but I never bothered spending much time there until I was retired. I think she wanted to get me out of the house and saw an ad in the paper about our docent training and said, “I think you’re going to like this.” Diane: It’s a calm place of resurgence when you an get away from all the sounds and noises and look up at the sky and see red-tailed hawks or listen to a babbling brook. And it’s getting so congested around here that it’s just becoming more and more important to us. So, yeah, Jim and Diane are pretty passionate about it. Jim: We have a motto that we have at the Nature Center which is, “Providing tranquility in a stressful urban society.” And that’s pretty much what we do. It’s one of the few places where you can go, get away from the traffic noise, listen to a babbling brook, listen to some birds, get your thoughts together, walk with your kids through a forest.