FUN FOR THE SWING SET ROSAMOND PARKS PLAN CALLS FOR BABY STEPS.

Byline: JIM SKEEN Staff Writer

ROSAMOND -- Taking baby steps and getting the public involved will be key to getting recreational amenities for parks-poor Rosamond, community officials said.

The Rosamond Community Services District is working on a master plan for developing parks and recreation amenities for the unincorporated community. A draft of the master plan calls for adding $128 million in amenities over 10 years, including a swimming pool, a regional park, more than a dozen neighborhood parks, and a performing arts center.

The district is seeking public involvement in creating the master plan. A copy of the draft is available on the district's Web site, rosamondcsd.com, and at least one more public hearing is planned before the master plan is adopted.

After it is adopted, the district will likely focus on the more feasible aspects of the plan, said Claud Seal, the district's interim general manager.

``We need to develop a realistic short-term plan,'' Seal said. ``We need to start small.''

Rosamond is parks poor, according to the National Recreation and Park Association's recommended standard of at least 5 acres for every 1,000 population. With that standard, Rosamond should have about 78 acres of parkland instead of its current 25 acres.

And because the community is expected to grow from about 15,600 people to 40,000 in the next 10 years, the need for parks and recreation facilities is extreme, Rosamond leaders said.

``I'm tickled to death this is moving along,'' said Dennis Shoffner, president of the Rosamond Municipal Advisory Council, an advisory panel to Kern County officials. ``We desperately need this.''

In the plan prepared for the district, consultant Foothill Associates recommended adding an 80-acre regional park and more than 105 acres in neighborhood parks over the next decade. Developing the parks, it is estimated, would cost more than $48 million.

Among the first planned actions once the plan is adopted is to raise the requirements for parkland from developers from the rate of 2.5 acres per 1,000 population to 5 acres.

``We think that's achievable by the end of the year,'' Seal said.

Neighborhood parks are probably the first amenity residents can expect to see come from the plan. Neighborhood parks are the type of amenity that would make new developments more attractive to prospective homebuyers, Seal said.

The consultants also noted a strong desire by residents for amenities including a swimming pool and a performing arts center. Each of those projects is listed at $2 million.

The Rosamond Community Services District is responsible for water and sewer services in the community. In 1998, Rosamond voters approved granting the district parks and recreation powers, but rejected a tax measure to fund the service.

In 2004, voters rejected a proposed tax of $45 per parcel to fund park construction and upkeep. The tax would have funded the development of three new parks, as well as improvements to United Street Park.

In the wake of the 2004 defeat, district officials decided to pursue a master plan to help establish an impact fee that would be assessed on new development to help pay for recreational facilities.

The district also started a community-outreach effort to shape the plan. Copies of a survey were mailed out to district residents.

The survey and input to the district's parks advisory committee showed a strong desire for a swimming pool and a performing arts center.

It might be possible to get those facilities if the district partnered with the Southern Kern Unified School District to defray costs.

Other proposals in the plan include an amphitheater of 500 to 1,000 seats, costing $1 million; a four-field softball complex, $750,000; a recreation center with a gym, $4.9 million; a field hockey court, $450,000; and a tennis complex with four courts, $300,000.

james.skeen(at)dailynews

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3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Bobbie Jo Vaughn and brother Louis Vaughn get a push Friday from stepfather Mike Gaugler and mother Shannon Footlik.

(2 -- color) Two men enjoy the shade at a picnic table in a shelter at Rosamond Park. A parks master plan calls for $128 million in improvements to Rosamond's park facilities over 10 years.

(3) Rosamond Park would be joined by a regional park and more than a dozen neighborhood park under a new recreation master plan for the community.

Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer