BIG PLANS FOR SPORTS VENUE; RESIDENTS' IDEAS FUEL $20 MILLION PROPOSAL FOR EXPANDING COMPLEX.Byline: Patricia Farrell Aidem Daily News Staff Writer Tucked off a narrow road, over the railroad tracks and around a bend is an emerging jewel in Santa Clarita's crown - a 20-acre mecca for the sports-minded. The Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, Sports Complex - in its infancy now with a skate skate, fish: see ray. skate Any of nine genera (suborder Rajoidea) of rounded to diamond-shaped rays. These bottom-dwellers are found from tropical to near-Arctic waters and from the shallows to depths of more than 9,000 ft (2,700 m). park, two basketball courts and five racquetball racquetball, sport played indoors by two or four players, combining elements of court handball and such racket games as squash racquets. It is played on a standard handball court 40 ft (12.2 m) long, 20 ft (6. courts - will grow year by year under a $20 million proposal, City Manager George Caravalho said. A plan on the table calls for a BMX BMX abbr. bicycle motocross BMX Noun 1. bicycle motocross: stunt riding over an obstacle course on a bicycle 2. bike trail, an adventure park with ropes and rocks to climb, a second gymnasium gymnasium In Germany, a state-maintained secondary school that prepares pupils for higher academic education. This type of nine-year school originated in Strasbourg in 1537. , a teen center and three pools including the first Olympic-sized pool in Santa Clarita. ``When you look at this in terms of what could happen with the whole facility, it's great,'' Caravalho said. ``We took ideas from the people and had an artist sketch things as we go. The draft is on the table.'' The complex is being developed on a $3.5 million 20-acre property the city bought in 1997 from the Merle merle a pattern of coat color pigmentation with dark, irregular blotches on a lighter background. Seen in some Collies and Welsh corgis. In shorthaired dogs, e.g. Great Danes and Dachshunds, the similar pattern is called dapple. Norman Cosmetics Co., which ran three large warehouses there. One of the warehouses has been refurbished and now houses the state-of-the-art sports courts. Caravalho looks at the other two abandoned storage facilities and sees all sorts of possibilities. Aided by public input, parks officials envision a teen center, game room, resource center, preschool classrooms and more basketball courts in what's now known plainly as Building 1. And in the vacant Building 3, ``There'll be a big multipurpose mul·ti·pur·pose adj. Designed or used for several purposes: a multipurpose room; multipurpose software. multipurpose Adjective room for big parties, a gym, some offices, health rooms, locker rooms and other support for the swim complex,'' Caravalho said. Each major step will be subject to public comment and review by the city parks and planning commissions Noun 1. planning commission - a commission delegated to propose plans for future activities and developments commission, committee - a special group delegated to consider some matter; "a committee is a group that keeps minutes and loses hours" - Milton Berle and the City Council. ``We'll move incrementally, something will be done each year,'' Caravalho said. Creativity in transforming a makeup haven into a recreation complex doesn't end at construction. The city will look at joint funding with local schools for shared facilities, particularly the two larger pools that would be designed for competition. So far, general fund money and funding from voter-approved bonds have been used for the complex. The beauty of the Sports Complex is that residents helped design it, Caravalho said. Initially, the city asked for input from young skateboarders to help design the skate park. That paid off for the participants who found out how things work - skaters went back to City Hall and asked that that facility be expanded. Under the draft plan for the park, the skate park would double in size. CAPTION(S): Photo, Map PHOTO (Color) The gymnasium at the Santa Clarita Sports Complex in Canyon County may soon be joined by other recreational facilities Noun 1. recreational facility - a public facility for recreation recreation facility facility, installation - a building or place that provides a particular service or is used for a particular industry; "the assembly plant is an enormous facility" . Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News MAP: PROPOSED SANTA CLARITA SPORTS COMPLEX Residents suggestions for recreation facilities were used to create this draft of a plan for the Santa Clarita Sports Complex in Canyon Country. If approved, city officials hope to finish one major project each year. A gym and skate park have already been completed. SOURCE: City of Santa Clarita |
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