CENTRAL PARK PROJECT UNDER WAY; SAUGUS SITE LONG ENVISIONED AS RECREATIONAL CENTERPIECE.

Byline: Teresa Jimenez Daily News Staff Writer

The long-awaited construction of Central Park began Tuesday as crews worked along Bouquet Canyon Road to install a water system for the 20-acre site.

While the construction may cause small traffic delays, sports group and city representatives see it as a sign that work has begun on the much-anticipated park.

``It's for real. This is the first stage,'' said Roland LeClair, a city park development coordinator. ``The money is being spent to build this park. This is the real thing.''

For almost 10 years, Central Park has been envisioned as a centerpiece of the city's park system, filled with ballfields, an amphitheater, trails and possibly an Olympic-size swimming pool, as well as other amenities.

Santa Clarita sports organizations have waited for years for more playing fields, and Central Park has been considered the eventual solution. There are now no city-run soccer or football fields, though thousands of local residents play youth sports.

The Castaic Lake Water Agency and the city worked together to make Central Park a reality. The water agency owns the land, but is leasing it to the city for a minimal cost every year.

As part of the building costs for the park, the city must get hookups to the public water system, and arrangements have been made with the Santa Clarita Water Co. to lay the pipes, LeClair said. The water will cost $54,000, he said.

The water connection must be available before construction begins by early next month, LeClair said.

``We need the water to grade and keep the dust down,'' he said. ``There are sprinklers on the land, but that water comes from a well that isn't available to us. We're going through the normal process just like any developer and going to the public system.''

The park, which has been planned for a total of 137 acres on water agency land, will be built in phases.

The City Council in October approved a construction bid for the first phase, which will involve softball and soccer fields, field lighting, landscaping, restrooms, walkways, a parking lot and other infrastructure. Valley Crest of San Fernando was selected for the $3.5 million project.

Grading for a smaller, 10-acre phase also will be completed by the contractor as part of the bid for an additional $882,000.

The city is waiting for a master plan for the whole area, including land owned by The Newhall Land and Farming Company, before developing park space on the other 107 acres.

``Once we get the water connection, we can start on the park,'' LeClair said. ``It's a large project, and it takes awhile to get it all organized.''