LAST DAYS ON THE LAKE CROWDS ENJOY LABOR DAY ON SOON-TO-CLOSE CASTAIC.Byline: Amy Raisin raisin, in botany and cooking raisin, dried fruit of certain varieties of grapevines bearing grapes with a high content of sugar and solid flesh. Although the fruit is sometimes artificially dehydrated, it is usually sun-dried. Staff Writer CASTAIC - Cars were turned away from the packed lots by 11 a.m. Monday, as boaters, swimmers and families with coolers of food and drinks descended on Castaic Lake Castaic Lake is a lake on Castaic Creek formed by Castaic Dam, in northwestern Los Angeles County, California, near the town of Castaic. The 323,700 acre foot lake (399,000,000 m³) is the terminus of the West Branch of the California Aqueduct, though some comes from the 154 mi² to enjoy the warm sun and blue skies. Some were blissfully unaware that the popular recreation spot is scheduled to close in a week because of a local and state budget crisis. Others, however, found it hard to understand how those charged with operating the vast body of water seem unable to keep the park going. ``We've come every weekend for the past 10 years,'' said Juan Cervantes, 33, of Ventura. ``We come to enjoy the fishing. There's no other clean place like this. Then we hear the lake is closing. How can that be?'' Like nearly 500 others who entered the grounds towing a boat or other recreational water crafts, Cervantes paid the standard $6 entrance fee and another $6 to cover a launch fee. A quick look around the crowded waters and shoreline conveyed his confusion about where the money was going. Another 1,200 cars paid the entrance fee before staff had to put out the ``parking lots full'' signs. Just 16 years into a 50-year operations contract, officials of Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County have said they count can no longer afford the nearly $3 million it takes to maintain the recreation area each year. Stymied by California's financial woes, the county is set to turn over operations to the state, which owns the land. The state Department of Parks and Recreation, however, will apparently not assume the responsibility with 34 years remaining on the county's contract. After much finger-pointing and buck-passing between county and state government, the lake is scheduled to close on Sept. 7. Joe Walsh
Dr. Joseph Fidler "Joe" Walsh[] (born November 20, 1947)[1] is an American guitarist and rock musician. , acting lake aquatics manager and an employee at Castaic since 1979, said as many as 10,000 people visited the lake on Sunday, and again on Monday. ``Both days have been maximum (capacity),'' Walsh said. ``I know there are a lot of good people working on this, but there is a lot of frustration out there, even from the public at large. There's still a lot of disbelief out there at the thought that it will be closed.'' Crowds at the swim beach Monday were so large, a glimpse at the shore was reminiscent of a famous picture of the beach at New York's Coney Island Coney Island (kō`nē), beach resort, amusement center, and neighborhood of S Brooklyn borough of New York City, SE N.Y., on the Atlantic Ocean. on a sweltering swel·ter·ing adj. 1. Oppressively hot and humid; sultry. 2. Suffering from oppressive heat. swel day in the 1950s. Ophelia Ayrapetyan of La Crescenta came to the lake with friends and enjoyed fresh fruit, coffee and conversation in the shade of a tree at the lower lake. Between shifting their blankets to avoid the sun, the quartet discussed the future of the lake. ``We feel very comfortable here,'' Ayrapetyan said. ``Our anger is with more than just the state problems. The county has to adjust its budget, but if there is no money, what is there to do? I think pretty soon they will close more parks. ``We are paying taxes, but we need the government to do their part. We need a better vision for the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. .'' Amy Raisin, (661) 257-5254 amy.raisin(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 4 photos Photo: (1 -- color -- ran in SAC Sac: see Sac and Fox. SAC - 1. An early system on the Datatron 200 series. [Listed in CACM 2(5):16 (May 1959)]. edition only) Boaters take off for a day on the water Monday at Castaic Lake, which is set to close next week due to budget shortages. (2 -- color -- ran in SAC edition only) Lifeguard Sean Martin Sean Martin may refer to:
(3 -- ran in SAC edition only) Crowds teem teem 1 v. teemed, teem·ing, teems v.intr. 1. To be full of things; abound or swarm: A drop of water teems with microorganisms. 2. along the lake's beach, a direct result of the parking lot closing by 11 a.m. (4 -- ran in SAC edition only) Boater Juan Cervantes of Ventura doesn't know where he will take his boat now that Castaic Lake is being closed. David R. Crane/Staff Photographer |
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