Oxnard Campus Park
January 24, 2011
By R.S. Rodriguez
Oxnard Campus Park…Tear Down that Fence!
Four years ago, or so, the majority of the old asbestos-riddled Oxnard High School was razed. A few of the newer structures were spared, including the basketball gym. I attended Oxnard High School and was not sorry to see it demolished, as it was one of the oldest high schools in Ventura County. Shortly after the debris was cleared, a sign was installed on the corner of H and 5th Streets near Henry T. Oxnard Historic District, touting the location as the new home of “Campus Park.” Said sign provided a website one could visit for updates on the status and progress of the park. Unfortunately, when visiting the website, there was some general information about the City of Oxnard but no information I could find concerning Campus Park. (The original sign was replaced by a more attractive sign a few months ago. The new sign also has the website address, yet upon revisiting the website, there is still nary a mention of Campus Park).
The property is surrounded by an unattractive wire mesh fence held in place by approximately 100 seven foot poles. Perhaps it’s time to uproot the fence and poles, take them to a recycling center and use the funds for the purchase and planting of trees at the park. Trees take a while to grow, of course, and at the rate of progress (or lack thereof) of this City of Oxnard project, it might be a good idea to plant tree as soon as possible so they can begin to grow and add beauty to the area.
The City of Oxnard, Ventura County and many municipalities are struggling in this current economic environment. Perhaps that is one reason progress at Campus Park is progressing as slowly as a wait at the local DMV. Maybe it’s also the reason the Campus Park sign provides a website address without pertinent information. Hopefully by removing that eye sore of a fence residents in the area can begin to enjoy the open space until the City of Oxnard has the funds and manpower to begin work on Campus Park.
A few months ago, I drove past the location, scribbled a telephone number on the sign and called to ask what was planned at Campus Park. I was informed the park would be used for sports activities, including soccer fields and basketball courts. Athletic activities are certainly sound uses of the property, but how long does it take to mow the lawn and chalk outlines of soccer fields? I would hope for and envision a combination of a sports park and an aesthetic park providing children a location to participate in sports on weekends, but also allowing adults and senior citizens an area throughout the week to sit, relax and enjoy beautiful trees and well-conceived gardens and walkways.
This writer is not a landscape architect. The western border of the property runs along the Historic District in Oxnard. Across the street is the elegant Buddhist Temple on H Street. How attractive a corridor it would be, I suggest, to have a portion of the property along all of H Street between Fifth and Second Streets to be a tree-lined (accentuated with gardens, walking paths and sitting benches) park. Perhaps one third of the property could be dedicated to tranquil ambiance of trees and gardens and the other two thirds to the proposed sports facilities.
In the meantime, City of Oxnard…Tear down that fence!
Is the Sky Falling in California?
January 18, 2011
By R.S. Rodriguez
The Ventura County Star Newspaper recently published an article referencing a U.S. Geological Survey which recently expressed concerns about the possibilities of massive storms bombarding California. These storms could potentially pack hurricane-like winds and devastate our state.
According to the report, California is due such storms every 150 years, or so. Based on the study by the U.S. Geological Survey, we are overdue. In light of the potential destructive capabilities of scenarios where we are deluged hypothetically by 50 continuous days of rains, winds and floods, how do the State of California, counties, cities and individuals prepare for such possible calamities? What would be the economic and emotional impacts of such storms in Ventura County?
California is currently experiencing massive budget deficits. Newly-elected Gov. Jerry Brown announced his budget, which if passed, would slash funds to many state, county and city agencies, thereby curtailing and reducing our capabilities of responding to the potential devastation of these storms. The coupling of these potential storms and our budgetary woes could mean trouble for California. It is estimated should these scenarios occur, the economic impact on our state could be between 200-300 billion dollars. If these storms do develop, we would be experiencing our own “Perfect Storm.”
My family lives in the Oxnard Plain. We are surrounded by mountains nestled next to the Pacific Ocean. If these storms were to eventually develop, Oxnard, Camarillo and Ventura could be devastated as water, rain, mud and debris would flow non-stop from the mountains. We would potentially be overwhelmed with flooding as local authorities, individuals and storm drains would not be able to cope with the amounts of water and mud these devastating storms would bring. Should families stock up on food supplies and bottles of water as many people did in preparation for the YK2 scare? Does it behoove us to collect sandbags in mass amounts to try to protect our homes from potential devastation? Should we invest in boats with outboard motors to get around our streets should the water levels be up to our chests? If these scenarios do happen, imagine the potential damage to thousands and thousands of homes, parks, streets, businesses and infrastructure in Ventura County alone?
Is the U.S. Geological Survey whipping California into mass hysteria and turning us into fear mongering people? What would Henny Penny do? Or is it responsible and logical to prepare for a 10.0 earthquake, or a 50 day flood, or a monsterous asteroid heading towards earth? Perhaps we should prepare for Dec 21, 2012?
