Crowdog
04-22-2002, 11:09 AM
http://www.bakersfield.com/local/story/980967p-1084885c.html
Multipurpose recreation park in works
By DEBBY BADILLO, Californian correspondent
Sunday April 21, 2002, 10:28:15 PM
CALIFORNIA CITY -- A local off-road racing promoter is negotiating with the city to buy a 120-acre parcel to develop as a multipurpose recreation center that will be a showcase on how to combine desert recreation with environmental protection.
Lou Peralta, president of BP MotorSports, plans to buy the parcel from the city's Redevelopment Agency, which approved a six-month exclusive development agreement with Peralta on Tuesday. The property is in an undeveloped area a half-mile north of Mendiburu Road and Conklin Boulevard.
Tentatively named At the Oasis at Cal City, the park will include several motorbike and bicycle race tracks, camping and picnic areas, a concert venue and a lake for fishing, swimming and competitive water sports.
"When you can obtain a revenue from happy money, that's the best way to make money," Peralta said. "This will be a travelers' paradise."
The plan is to attract some of the weekend visitors who come to the area to ride the open desert, which often means riding on unmarked private property. The park will also attract snow birds who want a comfortable place to stay in the winter, Peralta said, as well as bird-watchers and others who don't ride motorbikes or go off-roading.
And it's possible, Peralta said, that some weekends won't involve racing at all if there's a concert or other special event planned.
The park, northeast of the city's waste-water treatment plant, will recycle treated water for its lake. An old-fashioned swimming hole area will be filled with fully treated water, safe enough for swimming, Peralta said.
An environmental report will determine what types of mitigation are needed for possible desert tortoise or Mohave ground squirrel habitat issues, as well as noise or night-lighting issues.
BP MotorSports will design, construct and operate At the Oasis at Cal City. While the agency prepares the paperwork for the land sale, Peralta will develop a business plan, including a completion date for the park.
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Copyright © 2002, The Bakersfield Californian
Multipurpose recreation park in works
By DEBBY BADILLO, Californian correspondent
Sunday April 21, 2002, 10:28:15 PM
CALIFORNIA CITY -- A local off-road racing promoter is negotiating with the city to buy a 120-acre parcel to develop as a multipurpose recreation center that will be a showcase on how to combine desert recreation with environmental protection.
Lou Peralta, president of BP MotorSports, plans to buy the parcel from the city's Redevelopment Agency, which approved a six-month exclusive development agreement with Peralta on Tuesday. The property is in an undeveloped area a half-mile north of Mendiburu Road and Conklin Boulevard.
Tentatively named At the Oasis at Cal City, the park will include several motorbike and bicycle race tracks, camping and picnic areas, a concert venue and a lake for fishing, swimming and competitive water sports.
"When you can obtain a revenue from happy money, that's the best way to make money," Peralta said. "This will be a travelers' paradise."
The plan is to attract some of the weekend visitors who come to the area to ride the open desert, which often means riding on unmarked private property. The park will also attract snow birds who want a comfortable place to stay in the winter, Peralta said, as well as bird-watchers and others who don't ride motorbikes or go off-roading.
And it's possible, Peralta said, that some weekends won't involve racing at all if there's a concert or other special event planned.
The park, northeast of the city's waste-water treatment plant, will recycle treated water for its lake. An old-fashioned swimming hole area will be filled with fully treated water, safe enough for swimming, Peralta said.
An environmental report will determine what types of mitigation are needed for possible desert tortoise or Mohave ground squirrel habitat issues, as well as noise or night-lighting issues.
BP MotorSports will design, construct and operate At the Oasis at Cal City. While the agency prepares the paperwork for the land sale, Peralta will develop a business plan, including a completion date for the park.
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Copyright © 2002, The Bakersfield Californian