PARKS GET BOND LEADER ENDER FOCUS TO MOVE TO OPEN SPACE.

Byline: Heather MacDonald Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - After shepherding two multimillion-dollar school bond measures to victory, Laurie Ender will be sworn in next month as the city's newest parks and recreation commissioner.

Councilman Frank Ferry, who appointed Ender to the commission, said the Saugus mother of three was the driving force in getting $200 million in bonds approved for school construction in the William S. Hart Union High School District and the Saugus Union School District.

``Her tenacious, passionate effort paid off for every family in this valley,'' Ferry said. ``With her fire in the belly, it's near impossible to say no to this woman. She's always in your face.''

Last month, the Parks and Recreation Commission recommended that the City Council consider funding park development and programs through a bond measure and open-space purchases through an assessment district.

``Laurie's background will be an incredible asset to the commission,'' said Chairwoman Karin Nelson. ``I'm sure she'll teach us all a lot.''

Ender will replace Kimberle Wooten, who resigned to spend more time with her family.

``I'm thrilled to be a part of the commission, and I'm looking forward to the challenges it will present,'' Ender said. ``If that means a bond, then I'm up for it.''

The acquisition of open space has emerged over the last year as one of the city's top priorities. Last year, the City Council adopted an open-space acquisition plan that established a seven-step evaluation process for officials to use in deciding which parcels to acquire, how much they are worth and how to pay for them.

In city surveys, residents list the dwindling amount of pristine land as the second biggest threat to the quality of life in the Santa Clarita Valley, behind traffic congestion.

A council decision to put a bond measure on the ballot or to create an open-space assessment district would almost certainly be controversial and require a citywide vote. No schedule is in place for action, according to the parks department director, Rick Gould.

However, bonds or an assessment district would be among the only ways city government could afford to buy large parcels of land in and around Santa Clarita in an era of declining revenues and a massive state deficit that threatens to slash $11.1 million from the city's budget over the next 18 months.

``This is definitely a reality that we're going to have to face sooner rather than later,'' Nelson said.

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(color) After successfully promoting school bond measures, Laurie Ender will turn her attention to city parks and open space.

Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer