Boys & Girls Clubs

January 6, 2004
Below is a copy of a letter from Tracy Sklar to the Acorn regarding the Boys and Girls Club.

When Oak Park said ‘No’ to Boys & Girls Club, we meant it

Why do we continue to read that the Boys & Girls Club (BGC) intends to develop one of its six proposed new facilities in Oak Park, as noted most recently in the Nov. 27 issue of The Acorn.

Insofar as Oak Park is concerned, this issue has been dead and buried since January 2003. When Cal Johnston first proposed building a BGC in Oak Park’s Mae Boyar Park in late 2002, he was met with a firestorm of opposition from local residents who refused to sacrifice their community’s oldest park to a 10,000 square-foot building and adjoining parking lot and who questioned why our small community had any need for the services the BGC offers, given similar services already offered by Rancho Simi Parks and Recreation (RSRPD) and the Triunfo YMCA. Indeed, a survey by some Municipal Advisory Council members of residents revealed the community’s lack of need and interest in the development of a BGC anywhere in Oak Park.

In January 2003, the BGC indicated defeat on the issue. On Jan. 30, Ronnie Hewitt, president of the BGC of Conejo and Las Virgenes, Inc., wrote to Al Church, former Park District Manager of RSRPD, "This is to inform you that the Boys & Girls Club is withdrawing any interest in locating a Youth Center in Mae Boyar Park or elsewhere in Oak Park because of the lack of an adequate location to serve the children of the community. As a nonprofit organization with limited funds, we find it necessary to expend our resources on facilities in communities that need and want before- and after-school programs for their children."

Then, on Jan. 31, Mr. Johnston wrote to Marilyn Lippiatt, former superintendent of OPUSD, "We’re sorry we couldn’t find an effective site in Oak Park. The NIMBYs wouldn’t listen to the advantages even though we were just in the study phase."

Immediately thereafter, Al Church issued a news release stating, "The idea of planning and providing a Boys & Girls Club in Oak Park is now a closed issue."

So why does the BGC apparently continue to include Oak Park on its proposed site list?

If Oak Park is again under consideration, the BGC must disclose with whom it is in discussion so residents may again voice their opposition.

If Oak Park is no longer under consideration, the BGC is obliged to remove us from its site list once and for all.

Finally, in regard to Mr. Johnston’s allegations of "NIMBYism" against Oak Park residents, it is notable that his proposed site list does not include North Ranch, where he resides.

I invite him to survey his own neighbors to see what they think of the idea.

Tracy Collins Sklar

Oak Park Recreation and Park Planning Committee

May 29, 2003

The following article is from today's Conejo Valley Star.

School board approves Boys & Girls Club
Youth facility expected to open at Los Cerritos campus in fall

By Jean Cowden Moore, jcmoore@insidevc.com
May 29, 2003

A Boys & Girls Club will open at Los Cerritos Middle School this fall, a club that could potentially be the first of six in the area for middle school students.

The board of education for the Conejo Valley Unified School District unanimously approved the club on a 5-0 vote Tuesday night, after hearing from more than two dozen speakers.

"I think we got a good deal," said board member Dorothy Beaubien. "Particularly for the sixth-graders, this is real plus. They're the most vulnerable because they are younger."

Under the agreement between the school district and club officials, the Boys & Girls Club of Conejo & Las Virgenes will pay for the club, expected to cost about $1 million, as well as landscaping, maintenance and utilities.

Los Cerritos students and teachers will have free use of the building, including a computer lab, dance studio and conference room, for up to 100 hours a month.

That represents a slight change from an earlier draft of the agreement, which gave the school free use of the club for up to 80 hours each month. In return for the additional 20 hours, the district will allow the club free use of the school's gym or other facilities for 20 hours a month.

Beyond that, the club will pay the standard rent to use those facilities.

On Tuesday, the board also unanimously approved a report saying the club will have no significant environmental impact on the campus.

In the months of discussion leading to Tuesday's decision, opponents had argued that a Boys & Girls Club should not be built on a public school campus.

"It's the giving away of school property that I'm against," Gayle Fishkin told the board Tuesday night.

But advocates said that middle school students badly need a place to go before and after school.

"As grown-up and capable as these kids feel, they're too young to stay home alone and too young to wander unchaperoned around the local shopping center," said parent Lisa Creps.

Before launching its regular program this fall, the Boys & Girls Club will offer a summer program at Los Cerritos from June 16 to Aug. 27. Hours are 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Cost is $50 a week, with an additional $25 membership fee.

Club officials are still determining the cost of the school year program, but it is expected to range between $75 and $100 a month.

If the Los Cerritos club proves successful, the Boys & Girls Club hopes to build clubs at the three other middle schools in the Conejo Valley, as well as at two schools in Westlake Hills, Agoura, Calabasas or Oak Park.

"We're confident that after the first club opens, and the community sees the value of it, the others will follow shortly thereafter," said Ronnie Hewett, club president.

The following article is from today's Thousand Oaks Acorn

School board approves contract with Boys & Girls Club
By Heather Milo
Acorn Staff Writer

The Conejo Valley Unified School District board voted unanimously to OK a contract to build a Boys and Girls Club at Los Cerritos Middle School Tuesday. During the school board’s regular meeting, 37 residents spoke on the issue, and those against the proposal out numbered the pro by three.

Danny Atkins, president of Thousand Oaks girls’ softball, entered a petition carrying 233 names supporting the proposal into the record.

Senior citizen Gail Fishkin said that she and other neighbors have been characterized as encouraging criminal delinquency because they are against the club being built on school property, and said that characterization is untrue.

"It’s about the giving away of school property," she said. "You are providing babysitting for these parents, who should be spending time with their children." She said she will soon be knocking on every door in town, to urge every senior to vote against the next school bond that comes up.

John Scardino said he would be right behind Fishton, knocking on those same doors, telling folks how appropriate it was that the board passes this motion for the club with no cost to the school. Scardino grew up as a Boys & Girls Club kid, as he was raised in a single parent family.

Thousand Oaks City Councilman Bob Wilson spoke to remind listeners that the City Council had voted 5-0 for the proposal before he even began his term on the council. "I believe we have to support our councilmen’s decisions of the past," he said.

Superintendent Robert Fraisse addressed the traffic issue that has been a concern to many neighbors to Los Cerritos. "The traffic impact was very important," he said. "The design was incorporated to provide a separate egress…a parking lot with 30 spaces." Kids going to the club after school will lessen the traffic to pick them up all at the same time, he said. "Under no circumstances do we plan to include kids outside the community."

Linda Van Olsen disagreed. She said that she recently read in club literature that the club is only bringing in Los Cerritos students for the first year. "After that, all bets are off," she said.

Dan Del Campo, former mayor, said that the first man on the moon was a club alumni, adding that one never knows how high a background with the club will take them.

Cathy Carlson said she has a background as a youth leader for over 20 years and has taught at the Thousand Oaks Alex Fiore Teen Center, and that there are plenty of other programs available without building this club. The teen center is underutilized, she said, and parents who have five kids need to make sure they have enough money to pay for childcare, rather than depending on schools to provide it in the form of clubs. "Childcare is a trend of socialism," she said. Carlson echoed other citizens’ calls for board member Mary Jo Del Campo to abstain from the vote, due to a $5,000 campaign contribution from club representative Cal Johnston during the last school board election.

Del Campo said, "My slogan was ‘Students First,’ and that’s where I stand today." According to Del Campo, the crux of the matter is in students being able to walk across the campus to their own club. Boardmember Tim Stephens said that the club will be open early in the morning, from 7 to 9 a.m. as well as from 3 to 6:30 p.m. The club will be open to accommodate kids who get dropped off early by working parents.

Board president Dolores Didio emphasized that the club is not childcare. "They have many programs," she said. Additionally, that she couldn’t see where such a club would be bad for kids, but only that it would be helpful. "We have to maximize our resources," Didio said.

NOW - Is it time for a Ventura County Grand Jury investigation?

	Was there a quid pro quo for members of the CVUSD Board?
	Were public funds miss-appropriated?
	Were the Gymnasiums built with taxpayer funds knowing that they were required for the future Boys and Girls Clubs use?
	Was the traffic study truly accurate?
	Will the buildings meet current City standards or will the City codes be circumvented?
	etc,etc,etc.

May 23, 2003

Letters from the T.O. Acorn

Not NIMBYs

Re: Colleen Cason's Jan. 31 column, "NIMBY ascends to new heights," about opposition to a Boys & Girls Club at Mae Boyar Park in Oak Park.

My family and I belong to a small group of original Oak Park residents who lived here when Oak Park was a few streets wide and was surrounded by hills and ranch land. We have seen many changes and a lot of growth in our community since then, and most of it has happened with little or no complaint by us, until now.

Before Cason labels us NIMBYs, she should take the time to learn the various reasons behind the protestations voiced by many residents of Oak Park over the Boys & Girls Club project proposal.

My first concern was that this project was in the proposal stage without any input from Oak Park residents.

My second concern was, this is not a park with a lot of acreage (under six acres) and they wanted to build on and change four-plus acres of it! They would not just build it on the site of the old building, they would also move our playground equipment, pull down our old, established trees, and leave us with little of our original park.

They also planned on using the playing fields on the adjacent Brookside School property for sports during operating hours. These fields are already used by many children's teams all week long. They certainly shouldn't be pushed out because the Boys & Girls Club wants to move in.

Finally, they said they wanted to target middle-school children from Medea Creek Middle School and elementary-school-age children. The club would have been next to Brookside Elementary School, not near the middle school.

We were told that the older kids would have to walk in order to get there, and children from Red Oak Elementary, or Oak Hills Elementary, or other elementary schools, who wanted to attend would have to be bused in.

The site would be convenient for Brookside students only. If Cason were at all familiar with Kanan Road, she would not consider more traffic, buses and an access to the club from Kanan Road a good idea at all.

My parents' house is on Kanan Road, as is mine, and we realized the potential for increased traffic problems and safety issues for the children coming and going from the park.

Those of us whose homes surround Brookside Elementary School and Mae Boyar Park are no strangers to the noise of children's voices, the blasting of music from events and fund raisers, the cheering of families during sporting events, or the traffic congestion that comes along with dropping off and picking up of children. We accept these things as part of our everyday lives, and quite happily, thank you.

We don't have anything against the Boys & Girls Club. Most of us were willing to find out if it was feasible to put one at another location in Oak Park. It was unfair of Ms. Cason to label all of us as NIMBYs. Every corner of Oak Park is our back yard! The next time she decides she has the right to sit in judgment of others, she should do some research on both sides of the fence.

Ruth (Dennelly) Amick, Oak Park

We’re not NIMBYs

In your May 15 issue, the editorial and Cal Johnson’s letter to the editor suggest that the opposition to the Boys and Girls Club is strictly a matter of NIMBYs at work. Your staff reporter, Heather Milo, saw fit to report only the favorable comments, ignoring the many logical and perceptive comments from those opposed to the Boys and Girls Club on school property.

The fundamental issue is whether it’s legal or ethical to give away our taxpayer provided land and facilities to a private corporation, and whether the board members and superintendent can give an objective vote when they are members of the Boys and Girls Club board of directors, or in other ways connected to the Boys and Girls Club.

This smacks of a slam-dunk and does not pass the smell test. None of the opposition has a fundamental bias against the clubs, in fact we welcome them, but we believe that they, and any other commercial, non-school organization, do not belong on school property.

Johnson’s draconian statement that those who oppose the clubs are the unwitting dupes of the drug dealers is an insult to any thinking person’s intelligence. Clubs = no drugs. No clubs = drugs. Give me a break!

As for NIMBY, I wonder what John Phane’s and Cal Johnson’s attitude would be if someone were to propose a half way house or even, God forbid, a Boys and Girls Club next door to their home?

David Mueller

Thousand Oaks

May 5, 2003
~~15 DAYS AND COUNTING:~~

~~You have until the 20th of this month (MAY) to get your opinion and comments to the CVUSD regarding the Boys & Girls Club installation on the campus of Cerritos Middle School.~~

Read the proposals that are posted on the CVUSD web site! www.conejo.k12.ca.us/_cvusd/

Read Notice of Intent & Initial Study

DOWNLOAD AND READ THE CRITIQUE OF THE "INITIAL STUDY" (.pdf)

Mail your comments to:     Sean Corrigan
                                                  Director of Planning and Facilities
                                                  Conejo Valley Unified School District
                                                  1400 East Janss Road
                                                  Thousand Oaks, CA 91362-2133

February 11, 2003
Read and print copies of a flyer detailing information about the plan to build Boys and Girls Clubs on Conejo Valley Schools Campuses.

Download, print, read and distribute:
The Truth about the plan to build Boys and Girls Clubs

January 30, 2003 - Noise and Traffic become major issue.
Oak Park does not want proposed Boys & Girls Club.
Read the article from the Thousand Oaks Star.

	There is a movement a-foot to build Boys and Girls Clubs on our already crowded school campuses.
	Is this what you as a resident and taxpayer want?
	Have you been asked if it is alright to use facilities you paid for with your taxes to be used for a profit driven organization?
	There are pros and cons on this subject we will try to give you the information you need to make a decision and get involved.

First here are the players;

Original Board Members of Conejo - Las Virgenes B&G Clubs:

Cal Johnston - developer of major office complexes in Calabasas, Westlake, and TO - leases over 800,000 square feet of office space.

Shirlee Kingsley, VP of Caruso Affiliated Holdings - representing Rick Caruso - developer of upscale shopping centers - the Grove, The Promenade, and the Commons, also president of the LA Police Commission.

Lon Morton, chairman of Calabasas investment firm Morton Capital - managing over $400,000,000 in client assets - he was formerly a successful professional baseball player.

David Smith, president of Golf Projects Lindero - he has just built a large golf course in Korea.

Barbara Bronson Gray, senior manager at Amgen.

Gordon Whitehead, member of the Las Virgenes Unified School District Board of Education.

Chuck Eklund, director of secondary education for Conejo Valley schools.

Here is some information from the Boys and Girls Club Web Site www.bgca.org

Please note that the Gymnasium occupies 45% of the footprint for the facility!

"There are more than 2,000 Club facilities nationwide, ranging in size from 2,000 to 60,000 sq. ft. Few Clubs are exactly alike, but many have distinct similarities. Tour a typical Clubhouse and find out what makes Clubs "The Positive Place For Kids!"

Typical Building Requirements
Building size and costs are dependent on the number of youth served, community support and available land. The following is an outline of typical requirements for establishing a new Boys & Girls Club in your local community.

Typical B&G Club Layout

	Small Building	Medium Building	Large Building
Square Footage	5,000 to 12,000sf	13,000 to 25,000	26,000 to 40,000
Average Daily Attendance*	100 to 200 members	200 to 350 members	350 to 550 members
Total membership	300 to 700	700 to 1500	1500 to 2300
Project Costs**	$400,000 to 1,000,000	$1,000,000 to 2,000,000	$2,000,000 to 3,000,000
Annual Operating Expenses	$60,000 to 150,000	$150,000 to 300,000	$300,000 to 500,000
Minimum Land Needed	0.25 to 0.5 acre	0.75 to 1.25 acres	1.5 to 2 acres
Land Needed for Ball Fields	2 acres	2 acres	2 acres

* Average daily attendance reflects the average number of youth served at any one time. Often members do not attend on a daily basis, but may visit the Club for their favorite activities (i.e., teens often visit the Club during "teen only" hours).

** Project costs include site development and professional fees. Land acquisition is not included. Often land is either leased or donated. Project costs are averages. Your area may be lower or higher. "

Note the above information taken from the Boys and Girls Clubs web site.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT!

	The Conejo Valley School Board signed an MOU ( Memorandum Of Understanding) with Cal Johnston to put Clubs on their overcrowded campuses, at the same time Cal Johnston made large donations to the reelection campaigns of Board members Mary Jo Del Campo and Tim Stephens.
	The Typical Layout shows clearly that the reason for the B&G Club proposals to be located at the Middle school sites is to take advantage of the Gymnasiums! These were bought and paid for by Residents Bond money and are a public entity . Also note that the gymnasium is 45% of the footprint.
	Conejo/Las Virgenes Boys and Girls Club’s plan to locate Clubs at four local middle schools is badly flawed
	The Las Virgenes School Board had told Club Chairman Cal Johnston that there was not enough room on their middle school campuses for Boys and Girls Clubs.
	No site research was done by the clubs or the District, and the strong objections of local residents are being ignored.
	At a recent public forum, there was overwhelming opposition to putting Clubs on campus; however, after the meeting, the Clubs told the Board that residents approved the project.
	Local middle schools are currently operating at 150% of capacity, with portable classrooms and not enough bathrooms.
	The Clubs will take valuable parking space away from youth sports organizations and the school’s faculty and staff, and they will add to already heavy traffic.
	The Clubs will occupy land intended for classroom expansion, prematurely forcing taxpayers to finance more middle schools, or forcing the takeover of athletic fields currently used by youth sports.
	The proposed Club at Sequoia Middle School will be located next to a convalescent hospital.
	Because the Clubs are a private organization, parents have NO control of Club staffing or policies.
	A $1/year lease for 15 years is risky, considering the recent financial difficulties of local Boys and Girls Clubs.
	The Boys & Girls Club has promised to limit both the club's hours and extra activities, when in fact no schedule or scope of activities has ever been published.
	Building size has never been defined more clearly than 4,000 – 10,000 square feet.
	Once the Clubs are built on campus, they are free to renegotiate expansion with the District without providing any notice to local residents
	The Club has stated that students "would not need to be bussed to another location," but Club Operations Director Paula Mackelburg told residents that students would be bussed in from other locations beginning in the second year of Club operation.
	The City of Thousand Oaks has pledged $1 Million in taxpayer funds to this project despite the fact that it violates local zoning ordinances and has a negative impact on our neighborhoods.
	Club officials should meet with the City, the Conejo Park & Recreation District, Amgen and local property managers and developers to find an appropriate location for these clubs.
	All other Boys & Girls Clubs in Ventura County are freestanding facilities with their own parking lots, located near parks or in commercially zoned areas.
	The Clubs promote their $15.00 - $25.00 annual membership but will not discuss additional fees.
	Some Clubs charge fees of $5.00 - $10.00 per day for after school programs, $80/month for transportation, $25 for each sports program, etc.
	The Clubs are likely to apply for Proposition 49 funding when it becomes available.
	Developer Cal Johnston has many future development plans in Thousand Oaks, and will receive a tremendous Public Relations benefit from building Boys & Girls Clubs.
	Former Councilman and Club Board member Dan Del Campo has announced plans to run for State Assembly, and will receive a tremendous Public Relations benefit from building Boys and Girls Clubs. January 30, 2003 - FROM THE THOUSAND OAKS STAR Oak Park votes down Boys & Girls clubhouse By Julia Rogers, Correspondent January 30, 2003 The Boys & Girls Club will not build a clubhouse in Oak Park after about 80 residents protested at the Municipal Advisory Committee meeting. Club representatives tried to satisfy community concerns, but the residents simply don't want the club at Mae Boyar Park, said Cal Johnston, the club's chairman of the board. "Our organization is a nonprofit one and we only have limited resources," Johnston said. "If the community doesn't want us there, we don't want to be there." The plans for building the clubhouse were in the very beginning stages, with the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District agreeing to explore the feasibility of the project, Johnston said. "We have a lot of support from businesses because of the services we offer," said Johnston. "When parents are worried about where their children are after school, they get on the phone to track them down. That interferes with productivity, so if they know the kids are safe, the parents are better employees." It's not because the community doesn't think the Boys & Girls Club is good idea, they just don't need it in Oak Park, said Diane Tan. "I live six houses away from Mae Boyar Park," Tan said. "We moved here specifically so our children could use the park and be outdoors with grass and trees. We have plenty of activities for our children already. We want our park the way it is." Although there was a large number of people to speak against the clubhouse, those people don't represent the entire community, said Ron Stark, MAC board member. "There were about 80 people there and most of them didn't want the club," he said, "but Oak Park has 16,000 residents. Who knows what the people who didn't show up might want." Johnston said that a lot of the information the community received was erroneous. "People were putting up fliers that said we would be busing in children from other areas, and that just wasn't true," he said. "This clubhouse would have been for Oak Park, but the community has to invite us in and they didn't" The Boys & Girls Clubs of Conejo and Las Virgenes plan to build clubs at four middle schools in Thousand Oaks and Newbury Park. Neighbors at Sequoia Middle School are also objecting. They said they are worried about noise and traffic.