CIRCLE J PARK DEAL IN PLACE.

Byline: Angela M. Lemire Staff Writer

NEWHALL - The Circle J Ranch neighborhood off San Fernando Road will get its first public park, now that the city has signed on to a 30-year deal with the Metropolitan Water District.

The City Council last week approved an agreement to pay $200 per year to lease a 4 1/4-acre parcel in the Circle J neighborhood from MWD until 2030. A Circle J Ranch developer, Beazer Homes, will build the park to city standards, to meet its Quimby Act obligation, said Parks, Recreation and Community Services Director Rick Putnam.

The law requires developers to help cities meet the added demand for recreational space and facilities that comes with residential development by building parks or providing funds to do so. The final cost to construct the Circle J Ranch park was not known.

``(Circle J) Park will certainly provide an opportunity for young people to have someplace to take their little ones,'' Putnam said. ``It will be well-used by the neighborhood.''

The park, expected to open by 2001, would include a playground, path, restroom, picnic area and multipurpose recreational field, Putnam said. Although the new park will have no ballfields, Newhall Park, a short distance away across San Fernando Road, has basketball courts and ballfields, he said.

Circle J Ranch residents have met with city parks officials over the last two years to help determine their park's features and design, he said.

MWD facilities on the property would not interfere with park activities or pose hazards to park visitors, Putnam said, because all facilities are underground.