7 SEEKING ELECTION TO PARK PANEL; BOARD OVERSEES 14,000 ACRES OF OPEN SPACE IN CONEJO DISTRICT.

Byline: Kevin F. Sherry Daily News Staff Writer

Creating local parks and keeping pace with changing demographics top the list of concerns for candidates for the board of the Conejo Recreation and Park District.

Seven candidates, including two incumbents, are seeking three seats on the five-member board. Board member Dennis Gillette is not seeking re-election, opting instead to run for Thousand Oaks City Council.

The board oversees a 63-square-mile district with 36 parks, 14,000 acres of open space, 75 miles of hiking trails and 120,000 people. It also is responsible for 32,000 annual organized recreation activities and an annual budget of nearly $9.5 million.

Here is a rundown of the candidates and where they stand on various issues:

Michael Berger, 51, is principal at Chaparral Middle School and has been a park district board member since 1984.

While the park district may have enough money to develop some of the parks on its to-do list, Berger said, it does not have money - $5,000 to $8,000 an acre - to maintain them. And despite a budget surplus, no money will likely come from state lawmakers, he said.

``We certainly are not counting on any extra money coming from the state,'' Berger said. ``We need to get the money we have coming to us.''

Berger's goal is to see the completion of Conejo Creek Park complex and a freshwater fishing pond installed at McCrea Ranch. He also wants continued regional cooperation between various park and community boards.

Joe Gibson, 43, serves as president of the Conejo Valley Little League and is on the board of managers for the Conejo Valley YMCA.

``I've got a need to give back to the community and work with the youth,'' Gibson said.

Gibson wants the district to take the lead in developing after-school programs for latchkey kids.

``A lot of kids are involved in after-school activities,'' he said. ``Here in Thousand Oaks, we have a lot of households with both parents working.''

Gibson also wants the district to maintain and expand its facilities and programs while restoring its finances to the level before the state raided its coffers. But he would not support a bond to make up the difference.

``I think we've got enough of those on the ballot right now,'' Gibson said. ``I think you can only ask for so much.''

In 1995, Thousand Oaks Councilwoman Judy Lazar appointed Gibson to the city's Planning Commission. He resigned less than a year later because of poor health.

Susan Lauer Holt, 56, just finished her first four-year term on the park board and would like for the board to do more if the money can be found.

``We've been very creative trying to make up the difference,'' she said. ``There's just so many things we could do.''

Still, the district should not expect much help from Sacramento, Holt said.

``There might be some relief, but it's not going to be a lot,'' she said.

Developing the Hill Canyon, McCrea Ranch and designated future parks will be a priority in the coming years, Holt said.

``Because we run quite smoothly, that's one reason there's not a big fuss over this election,'' she said. ``That's a good sign.''

Kymberly Horner, 37, came in third when she ran for the park board two years ago. She thinks her youth will give the board a perspective that it now lacks.

One of her priorities would be to develop designated park sites. Some people with young children move to neighborhoods because they believe a park is on the way, she said.

``They just don't get developed,'' Horner said. ``Eighteen years later, that kid is no longer interested, and that park is still undeveloped.''

Horner proposes an ``adopt-a-park'' program similar to the Caltrans program for highway roadside cleanup. People and corporations could donate time and money to provide the upkeep to a specific park, Horner said.

Horner believes her links to government will help her find grant money for the district. She now works in the Woodland Hills office of Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks. Her father, former Thousand Oaks Mayor Larry Horner, and her mother, Conejo Valley volunteer Betty Horner, both also work for Sherman.

Elroi Reimnitz, 50, serves as the pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Thousand Oaks. He coaches soccer and has served on various Thousand Oaks committees, including Traffic and Transportation Advisory, Social Services Funding, and Community Development Allocation.

``The park district is also a good way to serve the community,'' Reimnitz said.

Undeveloped park sites limit the possibilities for soccer and baseball activities, he said.

``I'm concerned about the noncompletion of existing designated park areas,'' Reimnitz said. ``We need expanded youth sports activities and more options for seniors.''

The district does a good job for children, he said.

``The park has done a good job with sports,'' Reimnitz said. ``That needs to continue. There's a strong support for kids.''

But more can be done, he said.

``We need to explore grants,'' Reimnitz said. ``We have more and more seniors in our community.''

Joseph Smolarski, 75, has served on a variety of public agencies, including the Ventura County Area Housing Authority and the Thousand Oaks Council on Aging. He also has served as the community relations director for Many Mansions.

``Experience is what I have,'' Smolarski said. ``I have a lot of it. I would just like to add my knowledge to see what can be available.''

The district runs smoothly, Smolarski said, but could always be improved. As a self-proclaimed ``golf nut,'' Smolarski supports the development of Hill Canyon recreation area.

``I think we need another golf course,'' he said. ``We can sure use it for the community. We'd draw people from all over with a class-A course.''

He thinks the area could also provide activities for children in the area.

``The youth need to be more involved in golf,'' Smolarski said.

He thinks the district runs well with the resources it has, but he would like to see the development of ball fields and the south side of Conejo Creek Park.

Beverly Viola, 58, supports the development of the Hill Canyon Regional Recreation Facilities Project as long as the future golf course and recreation area will pay for itself. She wants drought-tolerant plants used so that the area is not susceptible to water shortages.

As vice president of the United Way of Ventura County, Viola says she is able to take a broad view of the county. Viola also serves as the president of the Conejo Valley Historical Society and is a curator and former executive director of the Stagecoach Inn.

``My theme is to keep the Conejo a jewel,'' she said. ``We just need to be looking to the future and how the demographics change in the Conejo Valley.''

Her work with the various agencies will help her draw money to support the district and its programs, she said.