PARK WORK LACKING PERMITS AGREEMENTS NOT SIGNED.

Byline: Carol Rock Staff Writer

NEWHALL - Despite one state agency's claims that repairs to a flood-prone mobile home park have begun in earnest, park owners have yet to sign agreements with the state Department of Fish and Game or the contractor to complete repairs at the park's sole entrance on San Fernando Road.

Workers cleared some debris from the culverts running beneath the park entrance before last weekend's storm, but installation of a temporary crossing, which is part of a plan submitted to the state Department of Housing and Community Development, cannot proceed without the required signatures.

San Poidomani, spokesman for the housing department, which oversees mobile home parks, said last week that repairs have begun. But Fish and Game spokesman Steve Martarano said the state is still in a holding pattern waiting for park owners to act. Fish and Game has an interest in the project because the driveway into the park crosses a creekbed that flows through the culverts when it rains.

A draft agreement was issued June 27 and modified Sept. 14 and again on Oct. 14. But it has never been signed.

``We haven't heard from the park owner since, so there are no permits issued,'' Martarano said.

In addition, Russ Anderson, of the general engineering firm A.E. Schmidt Co., named in the agreement, said the firm has not heard from the park owners since the company presented its proposal.

``As far as I know, we're not doing the project until we get a contract,'' he said.

And now time is running out.

The Oct. 14 revised agreement outlines provisions of the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act that restricts activity within the site from March 1 to Aug. 15 to allow for breeding and nesting of various bird species, narrowing the window of opportunity to make repairs.

An Oct. 13 meeting between state officials, park representatives and The Gas Company led Fish and Game to believe there was a sense of urgency on the park's part.

``I thought everything was going to happen right away,'' said local Fish and Game representative Betty Courtney. ``When I sent them the last revised agreement, I even gave them a fax number so they could sign it immediately. We were under the impression that they were ready to start work right away, to put in the temporary crossing, so we wanted to make sure everything was expedited.''

Calls to the park's management company, L.D. Flickinger, were not returned.

Shannon Pickett, who owns Pickserv Inc., an engineering firm working for the park, refused to comment.

Courtney said the timeline is slim - work should not be done when there's water in the creek, but if repairs don't begin soon, they can't start till late summer.

``Our main concern during the construction process is that the wet cement doesn't come into contact with the water because it will change the pH of the water in the creek, which would kill the wildlife,'' Courtney said. ``Plus we want to make sure the site is stabilized after construction is completed. We're focused on the possible long-term erosion of the stream bed. This is a pretty simple project compared to others we've dealt with.''

The owners, she said, have changed the project a few times.

``When we met with them in mid-October they had just started meeting with the utility companies and there were a lot of things to work out because for some reason, they couldn't do the utility relocation the way they proposed it. But I thought they had the project nailed down in October. There's been no explanation for why we haven't received their signature.''

Permits for the proposed work have been issued by other agencies responsible for overseeing the preservation of state or federal waters, including the Regional Water Quality Control Board and the Army Corps of Engineers.

Carol Rock, [phone]

carol.rock(at)dailynews.com