ojai news at The Ojai Post :: blog, newspaper, events in Ojai, California

I'm very pleased to hear this, and I think it demonstrates the effectiveness of building a broad coalition of stakeholders.

I really hope we hear from the skaters on the selection of the design firm. There are many choices out there - the most "professional/corporate" companies don't necessarily design the best parks!

Searches on Dreamland, Grindline, Burnside, Purkiss Rose will produce some interesting results.

I agree this was one of the best public meetings I've ever attended! Tonight all the City Council members were magnificent, especially Rae with her motion early in the meeting and Sue laying fears about alternative sites to rest.

It was so great to see Wendy and Chris Hilgers and their son Chet and all of Skate Ojai take this giant step forward toward reaping the fruits of their labor. Tonight's meeting brought out the best in everyone!
I hope the OUSD watches the tape of the meeting. Tonight's meeting addressed so all the concerns that have been tossed around these past several weeks...

It was a great meeting with a lot of great people attending. There was no confusion and we all came away knowing what was going to happen next. My hat is off to Rae Hanstad for setting the tone of the meeting early on by making a motion to go forward with the park at is current location, and to Sue Horgan for cutting through the “options” discussion that would have caused further uncertainty and wasted money. This is how all Council meetings should go. Thanks Ojai.

Good. Well done to all who have worked so hard to get this done for the kids of Ojai. Let's hope that there are no further 'bumps' in the road.

Does this mean OUSD is extending the lease, too?

Claify - I could give you my opinion but it would be best if you read Monty's letter of 10/12/07 to the Council about the lease that was made public last night. I lays it all out.

I think it's great. We have a small skateboard park in Steamboat Springs, CO that I think should be expanded. It gives kids a safe place to get together and get out some energy.
PowderLover

A request to extend the lease has not been requested.

As Pat eluded, the details of the current lease came to light in the meeting last night.

Specifically:

• existing lease good until 2023
• OUSD approved an in-ground skate park in 2002
• City has an option for an additional 3500 square feet
• breaking of the existing lease must be mutual - one party cannot back out or change
• when the lease expires in 2023, the parking lot and the skate park revert to the District; the lease does not require removal of an in-ground skate park if it is built

As for the question of extending the lease, a request would need to come from the City within six months of the end of the current lease. Therefore, this request would come in 2023.

It will be up to the 2023 City Council to make the request and up to the 2023 School Board to accept or reject the request. Therefore, it is a non-issue.

If anyone else present at the meeting had a different understanding, please respond.

Vote in the OVN poll on whether the skate park is a good idea.

http://www.ojaivalleynews.com

It's tied yes/no right now.

The Made in Ojai store has just had its grand opening at 323 East Matilija Street in the Matilija Plaza.

It will be lovely if Kenley Neufeld and his anti-chain store associates put their money where their mouths are and buy some of this store's offerings of quality art work, merchandise and packaged foodstuffs that all originate in Ojai.

You asked for it. You got it!

You may send me copies of your purchase receipts, Kenley.

Ernest:

Congratulations to you on finally getting a good tenant who is a perfect fit for that spot and for Ojai. I wish both them and you well.

I probably wouldn't recognize Kenley if I saw him on the street, so I cannot say whether or not he was at the grand opening of Made in Ojai, but from what I saw in the hour that I spent there, all of the attendees seemed to me to have been the kind of people you refer to as his "anti-chain store associates". Seems to me as if they made a good start at accepting your challenge before you ever issued it.

Ernie has quite a way of making friends in Ojai.

Hi Ernie -

I guess you missed my announcement of Made in Ojai on June 18th, where I extended well wishes to the tenant and yourself, without any of the sarcasm and condescension you continue to show our readers.
http://www.ojaipost.com/2008/06/made-in-ojai.shtml

Hi Tyler:

Your comment "

Hi Tyler!

RE: Your comment about my posting: "without any of the sarcasm and condescension you continue to show our readers".

My comments were not directed at your readers. They were directed at the people who treated the proposed Subway store as some kind of monster that was going to eat Ojai. Ojai is full of chain operations and the town is still in business, though many local businesses have closed shop partly because too many people in Ojai are shopping Costco and Wal-Mart.

We did not really contest the anti-chain store ordinance because it was just not worth the effort. We did believe that a small Subway, without any exterior colors or huge signs was not the monster that you and Kenley, among others, made it out to be.

It would at least given some local kids a place to earn a few bucks after school.

My reason in writing my first posting had a simple premise: The anti-Subway people wanted "local" businesses. Made in Ojai is as local as you can get. Please support it!

Ojai is not an easy city for any business nor for many residents to earn a decent living in. Kenley gets his income from a taxpayer funded job that is about 60 miles from Ojai. I wonder if he could find a job in Ojai that pays as well and has the benefits, let alone keep from polluting the environment will all that gasoline that he uses going to and from UCSB.

As to "curious": I am always also curious as to why some posters are afraid to reveal their names. Curious!

So are you saying Kenley could make his same income at a Subway?

Dear Ernie -

When Jersey Mike's moved into town, The Ojai Post raised the red flag and warned that Subway would be next.
http://www.ojaipost.com/2006/04/the_ojai_chain_gang_are_starbu.shtml

Sure enough, 364 days later, we posted about the lease agreement you had signed with the Subway Real Estate company.

What you miss in dismissing the thought that Subway is a "monster" is that Subway is iconic - it represents the homogeneity of virtually every city in America. And it represents the undermining of Ojai's primary business, cultural tourism. As we have shown in linking to multiple articles over the past two years, people come here because there is NOT Subway.

Regarding "Made In Ojai" - I would love to see them be extremely successful. Our visions are aligned, although most likely for different reasons.

Regarding good paying jobs - I lament that your former tenant Lynda.com left Ojai for Ventura. There could not be a better example of solid middle-class jobs and an employer vested in the Ojai community. I wish that all the stakeholders, including the City if need be, had stepped up to work out a solution that kept Lynda in town.

Meanwhile, there are plenty of entry-level jobs to be had in town, and if you are truly concerned about the opportunities for our youth, might I suggest you "put your money where your mouth is" and make a donation to the Ojai Valley Youth Foundation's Youth Employment Services:
http://www.ovyf.org/

Regarding Kenley - you're barking up the wrong tree. Kenley operates a van pool to his employer, and is the Chairman of the Transportation Committee for the Ojai Valley Green Coalition. They are actively looking at policy and behavior change throughout the valley with respect to carpooling, alternative fuels, bicycle advocacy and more.

Ojai Valley News Article August 29, 2008 Article “Council moves quickly on plans for skate park”

I just wanted to set the record straight about demolishing the skate park at the end of the lease in 2023.

According to Monte Widders Status report of October 12, 2007 that was made public at the August 19, 2008 special City Council meeting (The Agency referred to is the Redevelopment Agency of the City of Ojai that leases the property from OUSD):

“If the Agency continues the use of the Parking Facility and the Skating Facility until the end of the Second Extended Term (or any successive extended term), both the Parking Facility and the Skating Facility become the property of the District and the Agency is not required to remove the improvements thereon.”

The report goes on to say:

“CONCLUSION”
“The Lease is currently in full force and effect, not cancellable by either the Agency or the District prior to the expiration of its current Second Extended Term (December 31, 2023) unless either party violates some provision or obligation contained within the Lease's terms”.

As I brought up at the special City Council meeting, at the end of the lease in 2023, OUSD may prefer to extend the lease beyond 2023 rather than incur the cost to remove the park.

If anyone would like a PDF copy of the Monte’s report, drop me an e-mail at pat@riverchildren.net .