COURTS, GRANTS AND WORK RESULT IN PARKS.

Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer

LANCASTER - The city is in the midst of one of its most aggressive parks-building efforts in years, a situation officials said is the result of a court settlement, the availability of grants and redevelopment of the city's downtown.

Lancaster is working on the creation of three new parks - Whit Carter, Forrest Hull and a yet-unnamed downtown park - while at the same time making improvements to two of its largest parks, the 169-acre National Soccer Center and the 80-plus acre Prime Desert Woodlands.

Part of the park boom is by design and part is the result from litigation, said Mayor Frank Roberts.

``This is an effort by the city of Lancaster to meet quality-of-life needs,'' Roberts said. ``We were forced into some of this by the settlement on City Park, and we had the critical issue of Hull park. We solved both problems by acquiring property for Whit Carter and Hull Park.''

Another reason for the park boom is availability of grant funds. The city receives a portion - based on population - of a $2.1 billion state parks bond, Proposition 12, approved by California voters in 2000. The city has also been successful in securing grants through Proposition 12 competitive grant process.

``It always helps when you have an influx of money,'' said Lyle Norton, Lancaster's director of Parks, Recreation and Arts.

Forrest Hull and Whit Carter parks are the result of a development deal involving the relocation of the Costco warehouse store from the Valley Central Shopping Center to the southern end of City Park. The deal resulted in Costco taking possession of 4.5 acres of the southern end of City Park as well as 13.6 acres of vacant city property.

Costco is building a 148,000-square-foot warehouse store with room for a gasoline station and other features that won't fit at its 125,000-square- foot Valley Central shopping center store.

Responding to criticism from residents over the loss of the City Park acreage, city officials announced plans for the 60-plus acre Whit Carter Park, which will be developed along Sierra Highway near Avenue H-8.

The city's commitment to Whit Carter Park, however, did not end the controversy over the Costco acquisition of City Park land. A Lancaster couple, Emmett and Robin Collins, filed a lawsuit seeking a court order stopping work on the Costco store until an environmental impact report was prepared.

A settlement ending that lawsuit involved the city committing to build another park, the 10-acre Forrest Hull Park, on 30th Street West north of Avenue M.

A fair trade?

Costco bought the 10-acre Hull park site, which the city will develop. In return, Costco is receiving five acres of city property north of Avenue J near 20th Street West that Hull donated to the city.

Hull, a retired eye surgeon and member of Lancaster's first City Council, wanted the property used for a park, but city officials said lack of streets to the site made developing a park there problematic.

The city plans to move quickly on the Hull park. Construction is expected to begin in the spring and be completed by summer.

``We have funding available to move on that,'' Norton said.

The park is expected to cost about $750,000 to develop. It will a ``passive park,'' meaning its development will be focused more on open space rather than on recreation facilities.

``It'll have open turf, maybe a half-court basketball court,'' Norton said. ``It'll be more of a place to have a picnic and a place to go to throw a football around.''

City officials also expect to start construction of Whit Carter Park next spring, starting with turf and irrigation installation. That park, however, will require several years to complete.

Plans for Whit Carter Park, expected to cost about $4.8 million, include two baseball fields, general purpose athletic fields, picnic areas, a children's play area, and a 1,500-square-foot office, play room and storage building.

Valley pioneer Whit Carter's home, donated by his family, will be turned into a community center.

Located on Sierra Highway near Avenue H, the park is also to include the Antelope Valley's first dog park, in which dogs would be allowed to run without leashes. Details remain to be worked out, but city officials said the dog park portion would likely cover about two acres that would be fenced off from the rest of the park.

A larger facility

The third new park to be built is mainly in the conceptual stages at this point. It is part of a greater effort to redevelop the city's north downtown area - an area generally bounded by Avenue I, the railroad tracks, Kettering Street and Fern Avenue.

The centerpiece of the plan is a proposed municipal park coupled with expanded campuses of Desert Christian School and Sacred Heart Catholic Church, which also operates a school. Details of the park are subject to change as the plan develops, but a concept map shows the park covering about 12 acres and having two baseball fields, two soccer fields and four basketball courts.

The city is also in the process of adding land, one 5-acre parcel and three 2.5-acre parcels, to its Prime Desert Woodlands, located at Avenue K-8 and 35th Street West. When the land transactions are complete, the woodlands will cover about 100 acres.

The preserve contains such desert flora as Joshua trees, California junipers and creosote bushes. The city began acquiring the woodlands in the 1980s to keep it from being turned into housing tracts, which now surround the area.

When the land acquisition is completed, the city plans to complete a trail system through the property. The city estimates it will cost about $400,000 to $500,000 to finish the trails.

The city also wants to build a pavilion at the woodlands that would serve as a gathering spot for educational programs. The city has a grant in hand for $160,000 and needs somewhere between $100,000 to $140,000 more to do the project.

The city will also build a eight-foot wall along the southern border of the woodlands.

The city is moving ahead with improvements to its largest park - the 169-acre National Soccer Center on Avenue L at 30th Street East. Using a $750,000 federal grant, the city is planning to build three restroom buildings at the center and will install a plaza around the eastside activity building.

A portion of the grant will be used to start design work on a training room/locker room. The city is hoping to finance the construction of the building through partnerships with soccer organizations.