ROTARY CLUBS TO TURN LAND INTO KIDS CAMP.

Byline: Douglas Clark Daily News Staff Writer

Local Rotarians are lining up volunteers to teach youngsters about animals, hiking and forestry in anticipation of turning Sherwood Forest into a new educational camp.

Camp Rotary, funded by Simi Sunrise Rotary and Simi Valley Rotary, will include an open-air pavilion, where local schools may bring their students for nature hikes and lectures when Corriganville Park reopens later this month.

Rotarians also hope to use the $150,000 raised by both clubs to build an amphitheater by next summer for night-camp activities, and, at a later date, a third, enclosed building.

``Initially, we'll open up day camp for fifth- and sixth-graders,'' said Dick Strayer, co-chair of the Camp Rotary Committee. ``We hope to have that going by Feb. 1. We have a lot of volunteers registered to speak on fauna and flora and hiking and forestry and various kinds of topics for schools to select from.''

Strayer said the pavilion would be installed in about three weeks, after Rotarians have completed negotiations with a possible donor for the concrete needed for the foundation.

``We just thought a Camp Rotary for youths would give an alternative to hanging out on the streets,'' he said.

Camp Rotary cannot open until Corriganville Park itself is reopened.

Ed Hayduk, planning and development administrator for the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District, said he hopes that will happen by mid-January.

Although park district officials originally were optimistic that the park would be open to hikers and sightseers in November, there have been delays in the cleanup process.

``Rains slowed things down,'' he said. ``And we're doing a lot of this work with volunteers and park district personnel, so it's taking a little bit longer than we had anticipated.''

Corriganville was once the site of an amusement park and movie lot for many western films and TV shows, such as ``Rin Tin Tin'' and ``The Lone Ranger.''

But the park closed in 1966 after its purchase by comedian Bob Hope. It was acquired by the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District in 1988, the same year a master plan for restoring the park was approved.

In 1996, the Rotary clubs acquired a 10-year lease on the Sherwood Forest portion of the park to build an education center.

``We will eventually have a Camp Rotary sign marking the spot with the sponsors and donators,'' Strayer said.

The funds for the camp have come from various sources: a $50,000 matching grant from federal agencies and $10,000 directly raised by both clubs. Services have been donated by organizations such as the Southern California Water Co., which helped install a water line and meter.

Also, $20,000 came from a sister Rotary Club in Celaya, Mexico, where local clubs have donated $250,000 in medical equipment. The connection with Celaya may eventually allow Rotarians to use the camp to help at-risk Latino students.

``We do not have a specific target (for the camp) other than Latino at-risk youth. That's because of our connection with Celaya,'' he said. ``They've volunteered to come up here to help strengthen youths' awareness of their culture.''

To make it easy for visitors to disembark at the camp, a cul de sac will be built at the end of Smith Road, which has been extended beyond the Corriganville Park entrance to reach Sherwood Forest.

``The backside of the road has already been carved out so we can get concrete trucks back there,'' he said.

Next week, a storage container for educational materials will be installed. To protect Camp Rotary against vandalism, a state-of-the-art security camera will be installed on the pavilion.

Also, park officials are now choosing a caretaker, who will live full-time in Corriganville Park, according to Rich Harrison, park maintenance administrator.

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Photo

PHOTO Rotarians Paul Miller, left, and Dick Strayer stand in a part of Corriganville Park set to be a picnic area.

Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News