SHERMAN OAKS : Spending Plan Rankles Some Users of Park

A plan by Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky to spend $270,000 in developer fees on a running track for the Sherman Oaks-Van Nuys Recreation Center was criticized Wednesday by park users who say the money would be better spent repairing the facility’s deteriorating swimming pool or gymnasium.

Michael Sievers, who is involved in a soccer league at the park, said that the center already has a half-mile track for runners and that installing a new one in a way that would not interfere with existing facilities would require costly modifications. Sievers said Yaroslavsky’s representatives have rebuffed him and other park users when they have attempted to discuss the issue.

“This money could be better spent,” Sievers said. “And the councilman doesn’t seem to want to listen to what we have to say.”

But Alisa Katz, Yaroslavsky’s chief deputy, said the pool is already scheduled for maintenance with the help of Proposition A park bond funding. She said there would be no expenditures above the $270,000 estimated for the track.

Katz said the new track may not please everyone who uses the park.

“When they fix the swimming pool, people who don’t swim aren’t going to be directly benefited,” she said. “But it will be a plus for the community as a whole.”

Construction of the new track is scheduled to begin in January, with completion expected by late spring, she said.

It will be paid for with fees levied against developers and set aside to pay for parks and other recreational facilities. Its appropriation does not require City Council action.