The effort to devise a master plan for Nipomo Community Park is moving forward again, with the San Luis Obispo County Parks Department poised to take the next step in the process.

Jan Di Leo, county parks planner, said the department expects to start searching for a consultant to prepare an environmental impact report on the proposed master plan at the end of this month.

The EIR will examine the full range of potential development with every proposed amenity, including a controversial community and recreation center in the heart of the park, said Pete Jenny, county parks manager.

He emphasized that in no way means all of those amenities will be built, but it's better to examine every potential facility in the EIR.

“We can always take things out,” he explained. “It's much harder to put things back in and essentially have to start all over again (on the environmental assessment).”

Jenny said whatever is constructed will depend upon potential environmental impacts and whether they can be mitigated; the desires of the community; and whether adequate funding is available or can be obtained.

The EIR will assess a range of alternatives for all the proposed facilities - including seven possible alternate sites for the community center.

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County staff already prepared an environmental determination that no EIR was required under provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act, Jenny noted.

The county only agreed to prepare a full EIR after some community members expressed strong opposition to a recreation or community center in the park.

“A full EIR was more of a political decision than an environmental decision,” he said.

The seven alternate sites for a recreation and community center were identified because all EIRs are required to offer alternatives to whatever is proposed.

In a report to Nipomo Community Services District directors last week, Di Leo said there might still be time for people to suggest additional alternative sites for the center.

“It's not too late to propose a site,” she said. “I'm willing to look at them.”

The seven possible sites were selected by a group of people both in favor of and opposed to a community and recreation center in the 140-acre park at West Tefft Street and Pomeroy Road.

In addition to alternative sites, Di Leo said the group prioritized a list of amenities for the center, outlined the types of events the center should host and established a set of goals for the center (see accompanying articles).

The four preferred alternative sites are at Sandydale Drive and North Frontage Road; a parcel bounded by West Burton, West Tefft, North Branch and North Mallagh streets; Orchard Street and Division Road; and Hill Street and Grande Avenue.

Less desirable alternatives - based on topographical, zoning and land-use constraints - include North Thompson Road adjacent to Nipomo High School; South Thompson Road behind St. Joseph's Catholic Church; and West Tefft Street and South Oakglen Avenue.

Once the county selects a consultant to prepare the EIR, a public meeting will be held to determine the scope of issues it will examine.

Jenny said it will take nine months to a year to prepare a draft EIR, which and then will be circulated for public review and comment.

The draft EIR and draft park master plan will likely be presented to the County Parks and Recreation Commission to take additional public comments, Di Leo said.

The master plan and EIR incorporating and responding to public comments then would go before the Board of Supervisors for final adoption and directions to the staff.

There is no definite timetable for all that to be accomplished, Jenny said.

But whether a recreation center, community center or combination of the two is built in Nipomo Community Park or at some other location is a long way from being decided, he said.

In fact, construction of any of the proposed facilities may be many years away.

“Quite frankly, we do not have the funds to build or maintain them,” Jenny said, noting the County Board of Supervisors has ordered the Parks Department to not add any park facilities unless the county has the funds to maintain them.

“I have four or five park projects on hold all over the county,” he added.

At present, it costs the county roughly $200,000 a year to maintain Nipomo Community Park - about $60,000 of that just for irrigation water - and proposed amenities could add another $60,000 or more to the maintenance cost.

With Sacramento likely to take away local funding to prop up the state budget and property tax reductions expected from the collapsing housing market, maintenance funding isn't likely to materialize for some time.

“We've got a couple of tough years ahead and a couple of tough years to recover after things return to normal,” Jenny said.

If a private, nonprofit organization or consortium of organizations alone or in partnership with the county would build any of the amenities, that could speed up the process.

And if a recreation and community center were built and operated by a nonprofit, the facility's use fees could free up maintenance money, Jenny said.

August 25, 2008