PARK WORK MAY START SOON; 120 ACRES SET ASIDE IN CENTER OF SANTA CLARITA.

Byline: Mary Schubert Daily News Staff Writer

Construction is scheduled to begin later this year on the first phase of Santa Clarita Central Park, although the issue of where a proposed road through the property will run remains unresolved.

Dozens of representatives from the Castaic Lake Water Agency, the City Council, the city Planning Commission, the Parks Commission and The Newhall Land and Farming Company toured the site Tuesday afternoon to get an idea of how the land would be used.

City spokeswoman Gail Ortiz said the land, 1,400 acres in all, is owned by Newhall Land and the water agency, but city plans call for leasing 120 acres for development of the park.

Because the city has limited funds, the park will be developed gradually as the money is obtained. Project plans call for Central Park to eventually include baseball diamonds, soccer fields, an Olympic-size swimming pool, an amphitheater, tennis courts, restrooms and parking, Ortiz said.

Construction could begin as early as October on the first 20-acre phase, which will involve two softball diamonds, two sports fields, walkways, lighting, a picnic area, restrooms and a parking lot.

The city, which leased the land from the water agency for $100 per year, has hired a planner to develop the area, and a committee working on the park project has met with consultants to design the recreation area.

``We're scheduled to be in construction later this year, and it's an 18-month construction project,'' Ortiz said. Phase 1 could be complete by 2000.

``What remains to be decided is where on the property a road, that's already a part of the general plan, should go,'' Ortiz said. That decision of where to build the proposed Santa Clarita Parkway is expected to be made within a month, she said.

Meanwhile, Newhall Land owns about 300 acres of property at the site, where long-term plans call for construction of homes. Company officials, along with representatives from the city and the water agency, have been working together on the project.

``Instead of each of us looking at our property separately, we're trying to look at it comprehensively to determine what would be best for that area,'' said Newhall Land spokeswoman Marlee Lauffer.

``It's property (on which) we've always envisioned residential development,'' Lauffer added, ``but we're in the very early stages of this process. It's several years away.''

The actual park site is planned for the water agency property, and the future Santa Clarita Parkway may either bisect the park or run along its fringes, Lauffer said.

``We envision a beautiful park located in the center of the city,'' Ortiz said. By comparison, Canyon Country Park covers just 17 acres, she noted.