CITY WILL BUILD TWO NEW PARKS.

Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer

PALMDALE - With property owners' approval of a bond measure, Palmdale officials are moving ahead with the design of two regional parks they hope to build by late 2004 or early 2005.

Palmdale property owners approved a park bond measure that will charge homeowners $36 a year by a margin of 55.9 percent to 44.1 percent, with the ballots weighted in proportion to the amount of assessment property owners would be charged. In a straight ballot count, the measure passed 6,309 to 4,026.

``They realized there was value (in) these amenities to our community,'' Mayor Jim Ledford said.

The park bond will provide money to let Palmdale catch up on building the parks it has sorely needed since its rapid population growth, said Raul Figueroa, who co-chaired a citizens committee backing the bond measure.

``What a relief,'' Figueroa said. ``We will get something more than the two pools and a recreation center that we have now. This is a huge help.''

The vote count was unveiled at a special City Council meeting Wednesday night. At the same meeting, the City Council voted to enter into a $3 million agreement with Charles Walton Associates, a Glendale firm, to design the two regional parks and manage their construction.

The city proposes to get the design process completed and the projects out to bid within 12 months. To get citizen input on the design, the city plans to hold public meetings, said John Lasagna, the city's parks and recreation director.

Palmdale officials hope to have the facilities ready by late 2004 or early 2005.

The plan is to turn Marie Kerr Park on the west side and a newly acquired property at Avenue S and 40th Street East on the east into regional parks.

Each would have a 20,000-square-foot recreation center and a 25-yard- by-25-meter swimming pool. The pools would have bubble covers to allow for year-round use.

The recreation centers would have teen rooms, gymnasiums and space for senior programs during the day.

Marie Kerr, at Rancho Vista Boulevard and 30th Street West, would be the site of an amphitheater. The amphitheater would host the city's Starlight summer concert series, now held on a softball field, and could be a venue for graduations and fund-raising events.

The eastside park is envisioned as having a small aquatics center, with some play areas, a couple of water slides and perhaps a ``lazy river'' pool. There would be areas to sunbathe and to picnic.

City Council members said they supported the plan because of the pressing need to provide parks and recreation services, the availability of land now to do such a project before housing construction blocks options in the future, and the fact the issue was put to a vote of the people ultimately paying the bill.