FUNDING ON TAP TO IMPROVE PARKS.

Byline: Charles F. Bostwick Staff Writer

LITTLEROCK - Lake Los Angeles' park will get a $6 million gymnasium and community room and other Antelope Valley county parks will get increased staff and more maintenance under the new Los Angeles County budget.

Countywide, the Department of Parks and Recreation budget is going up by $37 million, which will pay for adding 270 new positions and filling more than 30 vacancies. Officials said it is the department's biggest boost in at least 25 years.

``We're all very excited that we'll be able to add these new staff,'' parks spokeswoman Sheila Ortega said. ``It's been several years of reductions. It's very exciting to be going the other way again. None of us at the department can remember when we've been able to add this number of staff before.''

Because the new workers are being recruited now, parks officials cannot say when recreational staffing will be increased at Jackie Robinson Park in Littlerock, George Lane Park in Quartz Hill, Everett Martin Park in Littlerock and Pearblossom Park.

The department has been conducting job fairs in anticipating of adding staff, Ortega said.

``We fully intend to have (increased recreation programs) in place and running before next summer,'' she said.

The proposed gymnasium at Stephen Sorensen Park in Lake Los Angeles is unlikely to be opened sooner than 2007 because it still must be designed and built, Ortega said.

At Jackie Robinson Park, the new staffing will let the county reassume responsibility for athletic programs that were taken over by the park foundation because of past years' budget cuts.

``They have a terrific boxing program which is currently being operated by volunteers,'' Ortega said. ``We are going to be able to have a paid specialist participate in that program.''

The budget increase will allow reassigning a recreation staffer full-time to George Lane Park, and increasing staffing at Everett Martin and Pearblossom parks.

The budget will also pay for opening to the public on nights and weekends the newly completed Joe Walker Middle School gymnasium, which adjoins George Lane Park and was partially financed by the county.

The increased maintenance staff will permit more frequent cleaning of restrooms and repairing of broken irrigation systems. Parks officials are considering adding a night maintenance crew that can work when the public is not present.

The department also intends to begin guided tours and improve maintenance of wildlife preserves at Alpine Butte, Big Rock Creek and six other places in the Antelope Valley.

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3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Jairo Villa, 6, left, and Joshua McMillan, 7, work with tutor Roberta Jones in a Sheriff's Department program at Jackie Robinson Park.

(2 -- 3 -- color) Above, Weston Conrad, 13, takes a shot at tryouts for Knight High School freshman basketball team at the Jackie Robinson Park gym. Students Ventresca Randall, 10, left, and Aymara Amaya, 10, work on a problem during a tutoring session at Jackie Robinson Park.

Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer