REOPENING POOL GAINS NEW FOCUS PARKLAND ALSO SOUGHT IN ROSAMOND REGION.

Byline: JIM SKEEN Staff Writer

ROSAMOND -- Restoring the community pool and getting federal land for a regional park are among the first steps being taken to implement a masterplan for parks and recreation in the community of Rosamond.

The Rosamond Community Services District is working on a master plan with a list of amenities totaling $128 million, including more than a dozen neighborhood parks and a performing arts center.

``The pool is still the No. 1 priority,'' said Bob Neufeld, the district's general manager. ``We want that open this summer.''

The community has been without a swimming pool since 2003, when county government closed the Westpark pool for lack of funding. The pool was filled with asphalt in such a way that it could be restored if funding for its operation was eventually found.

An assessment district created in the early 1990s for Westpark homeowners fell short of covering operational costs for the pool because additional homes planned for the development were never built. Kaufman and Broad -- which has since shortened its name to KB Homes -- dropped its subsidy for the pool in 2001. County officials kept the pool open one more summer before budget concerns forced the closure.

Neufeld said the assessment district is working to gain control of the pool's operation from the county, and he hopes the process will be completed within two months.

Then, he said, estimates will be made on how much it will cost to restore and operate the pool.

The district is responsible for water and sewer services in the community. In 1998, Rosamond voters approved granting the district parks and recreation powers, but they rejected a tax measure to fund the service. A second proposed tax to fund services was rejected in 2004.

To begin services, the district is using a $500,000 loan from its general-fund reserves. Developer fees, grants and program fees will also be used to help finance services.

The district has hired its first parks supervisor -- Sharon Morrison, formerly a parks supervisor for the city of Barstow.

District officials have not ruled out the possibility of taking a third run at getting voters to approve an assessment.

``Every opportunity possible is being looked at,'' Neufeld said. ``Most communities are willing to pay if they recognize they would get something out of it.''

District officials also are in discussions with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management about the possibility of acquiring 223 acres for a regional park. The BLM land is adjacent to 27acres the district already owns north of Rosamond Boulevard near the old Tropico gold mine.

Nature trails, some type of water feature and perhaps even a community museum are among concepts being considered for a park.

Rosamond is parks-poor under the National Recreation and Park Association's recommended standard of at least five acres for every 1,000 people. By that standard, Rosamond should have about 78 acres of parkland instead of its current 25 acres.

And because the community is expected to grow from about 15,600 people to 40,000 in the next 10 years, the need for parks and recreation facilities is extreme, Rosamond leaders said.

``People looking to relocate to Rosamond say, `What about the kids?''' said Dennis Shoffner, president of the Rosamond Municipal Advisory Council, an advisory panel to Kern County officials. ``Anything we can do for parks and recreation, I'm all for. We're moving in the direction.''

The creation of the master plan came after the 2004 park tax was defeated. District officials wanted to pursue the plan to help establish a development-impact fee for recreational services and to get residents' input on what services and amenities they felt the community needed.

Other proposals in the plan include a performing arts center, estimated at $2 million; an amphitheater of 500 to 1,000 seats, $1 million; a four-field softball complex, $750,000; a recreation center with a gym, $4.9 million; a field hockey court, $450,000; and a tennis complex with four courts, $300,000.

james.skeen@dailynews

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