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County Awards $5 Million to River Park Project

Posted on: Thursday, 14 July 2005, 18:00 CDT

Jul. 14--SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Wednesday to begin buying land for a park along the San Luis Rey River, allocating $5 million and launching the next phase in the river park project.

"This will be the most significant park that we've undertaken in a decade," Supervisor Bill Horn said during Wednesday's meeting. "It (the park project) does two things. It will help SANDAG and Caltrans mitigate the improvements that are needed on Highway 76. And we will end up with a ... park that I think will be a real jewel in the county."

Horn said that the $5 million will allow the county to start leveraging larger amounts of money from the state and federal government to help pay for the park.

Envisioned by the county's Department of Parks and Recreation, the huge preserve will encompass 6,000 acres on both sides of the San Luis Rey River. It will border Highway 76 for seven miles ---- from Interstate 15 to East Vista Way ---- and has been planned with a trail network and several active recreation sites suitable for baseball or soccer fields.

In addition, about 1,500 acres will be set aside as protected habitat for native riparian species.

Until now, the county has spent money only on the planning stages ---- a $1 million allotment three weeks ago helped pay for an environmental study and the drafting of a master plan for the park.

With the latest allocation, the Board of Supervisors has begun the land acquisition stage of the project, which will entail the purchase of hundreds of acres, as well as the donation of many more by the California Department of Transportation.

Margarette Morgan, chairwoman of the Bonsall Sponsor Group, said Wednesday that the supervisor's action is great news for her community and shows that the park "is not just a dream."

The creation of the park "means cleaning up the river, eliminating some of the noxious plant material and providing a safe environment for the habitat there," Morgan said.

In addition, she said, the park will help realize the community's goal of creating a trail system -- both equestrian and pedestrian -- which has been a key desire of many local residents.

Sheila Manning, president of the environmental group RiverWatch, said her group has attended all community meetings regarding the proposed park but called the $5 million allocation "a surprise."

She said RiverWatch -- which vigorously opposes the proposed Gregory Canyon Landfill near Pala, citing fears that it could contaminate the water in the San Luis Rey -- will continue to watch how plans for the park unfold.

"There is still lots to be done," Manning said, referring to environmental studies and other steps in the process of creating the park.

"We're hopeful that the park will be an asset," she said. "But our biggest concern -- if Gregory Canyon moves forward and the river becomes contaminated -- is who would want their children to picnic next to that?"

Staff writer Melanie Marshall contributed to this story.

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Copyright (c) 2005, North County Times, Escondido, Calif.

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Source: North County Times

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