LETTERS BUILD DAM DEBATE; MAYOR, COUNCIL MEMBERS EXPRESS OPPOSITION, SUPPORT FOR LANG RANCH PROJECT.

Byline: Cecilia Chan Staff Writer

The planned construction of a controversial dam at Lang Ranch has spawned a series of dueling letters from City Council members jostling to offer opinions to regulatory agencies overseeing the project.

It began when Mayor Linda Parks fired off a letter to state and federal agencies in June suggesting an alternative dam proposal, which stirred criticism from county officials and some council peers who saw her as revisiting an already-approved project.

``I think it's inappropriate action on her part,'' said Arthur Goulet, Ventura County public works director, overseeing the project's construction.

``She is costing flood control, actually the county, a substantial amount of money because we have to deal with all these things she sends without authorization of the City Council,'' Goulet said. ``Thus far she has yet to present anything which merits a re-examination of the project.''

Mayor Pro Tem Dennis Gillette responded to Parks' letter with one of his own earlier this month, calling her correspondence ``a one-side view of complex flood control and environmental issues'' relating to the project.

Prompted by Gillette's action, Councilman Dan Del Campoin turn sent a letter Tuesday to the various agencies.

The county is expected to send its own letter to regulating agencies this week to dispute the mayor's claims, which county officials believe are filled with inaccuracies and taken out of context, said Alex Sheydayi, deputy director of public works.

Parks is not surprised by the county's criticism.

``I represent a constituency that does not want to see a dam in an ancient oak grove,'' Parks said. ``And I have done extensive research and have had the support to present a better alternative . . . which takes it out of the oak grove.

``I am doing what I have been elected to do.''

The current plans calls for a debris basin east of Westlake Boulevard and an 11.5-acre dam to the west, which would protect downstream properties by catching Lang Creek's runoff, which is expected to increase because of a 2,257-home development.

Parks in her five-page letter presents an alternative to the 11.5-acre dam that she says would be less environmentally and visually intrusive. Her suggestion calls for placing a smaller dam and debris basin farther downstream along Lang Creek close to the Erbes Road culvert.

She said officials should analyze her proposal before rejecting it outright.

Under an agreement between the developer and the city, Ventura County is building the $4.9 million project, which was stipulated in 1986 in an order by a federal judge that required the city to permit the housing development. Although the developer was able to lower the number of oak trees to be removed for the project from 140 to 47, it did not satisfy some Lang Ranch residents and Parks.

Gillette said he responded to Parks' letter with his own because he wanted to share information other than that put forward by the mayor.

``My perspective is since the mayor did it independent of the rest of the council, I wanted to make (the permitting agencies) aware of the information I had gathered, because I have looked into it, too,'' said Gillette, who became involved with the project in 1995 while on the park district board. ``I just wanted to make sure the involved regulatory agencies, from my perspective, were aware of different issues so they can consider it as they work on an analysis'' of the project.

Fellow Councilman Del Campo said he wrote his letter to express his support of Parks' efforts, and to point out that Gillette's views did not reflect those of the other council members as Gillette expressed in his letter.

``I was a little bit taken back when I got my council packet and got my letter from Mayor Pro Tem Dennis Gillette,'' Del Campo said.

``I had no knowledge a letter was written on behalf of other council members,'' Del Campo said. ``For any council member to assume my position is not the correct way to go.''

Gillette said he has spoken to Councilmen Andy Fox and Michael Markey about the letter, but not to Del Campo, and was not aware that he took issue with it.

``I certainly applaud Linda Parks' efforts to do whatever is necessary and possible to bring in other outside agencies to look at this thing,'' said Del Campo, who said he opposed the project as part of his campaign during the November election. ``Hopefully they will do it in a nonpolitical way and take the politics out of here.''