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June 14, 2006, Val Verde - The Val Verde Community Benefits Funding Committee is donating $16,900 to the county Department of Parks and Recreation to finance special events, trips, programs and equipment at the local park. The committee oversees more than $250,000 in annual payments from neighboring Chiquita Canyon Landfill for withholding opposition when the dump expanded a decade ago to its current 257 acres. The committee has about $1 million in savings, and the money has paid for tutoring programs, a health clinic for low-income residents and other local benefits. Al Evans, a county Parks and Recreation Department supervisor, said Tuesday the donation will pay for extras in programs for the town of roughly 1,500 west of Castaic. The department has worked with the committee over the years organizing concerts, athletics and even tutoring for children. "These are costs above and beyond what Parks and Recreation provides - trophies, uniforms that the kids take home with them," Evans said Tuesday. "That's what we do for a living. We have expertise to do so." There are some concerns the group may be paying for services residents are entitled to receive from the department. But the committee chairman, James Stephens, said it's more of a partnership in which the department administers programs the committee could not. "There has been a concern in the past by other board members ... that some of these programs are being given to other communities by the normal park budget," Stephens said. "These concerns have been expressed, but haven't been quantified. "We are not a public entity. We are a private trust. The county has greater power to administer the funds." Stephens said it's difficult to define the community's fair share of services at county government expense. "We have to trust they'll give us a fair shake," he said. "The formula for the fair share has never been revealed, which goes to show you there is no formula. "Basically, the squeaky wheel gets the grease," he said, and residents of a community must get county officials' attention to local desires. Last week, 5th District county Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich got funds allocated for playground equipment at the proposed Pacific Crest Park in unincorporated Saugus. Preliminary plans for the park next to Mountainview Elementary call for only a lawn, benches and trees, and some residents have criticized the features as lackluster compared with parks inside Santa Clarita city limits, where one park even has wireless Internet access. Evans said Val Verde is doing fine. He cited plans to build new playing fields at the county park "Val Verde is getting a tremendous share," he said. "The county just remodeled and painted the community center. We're remodeling both bathrooms. We're spending $2.3 million to renovate the entire park.
"When you look at the larger picture, there is a general equity."
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