Williford Park pool will open this season

ROSAMOND — Rosamond’s community pool at Jim Williford Park will be open to the public this summer for the first time in three years, Kern County officials assured residents Thursday.

The repairs necessary to bring the pool back up to a usable state have been completed for nearly $30,000, Kern County General Services Supervisor Matt Howard said.

A contractor is maintaining the pool weekly and recruitment for lifeguards and other staff will begin in the coming months, he said.

Howard, who oversees the eastern portion of the county, and Kern County Parks and Facility Manager Carl Brewer spoke at the Rosamond Municipal Advisory Council meeting about the pool and other efforts at addressing a maintenance backlog and improving the two county parks in Rosamond.

Top of that list was a concentrated effort to reopen the community pool, which was last available in 2017.

Jim Williford Park and its community pool were the responsibility of the Rosamond Community Services District until summer 2018, when the district turned it back to the county after Rosamond voters soundly defeated a property tax measure that would have provided the funding necessary to maintain the park and operate the pool.

In 2007, the District took possession of what is now known as Jim Williford Park from Kern County because the county no longer had the funds to support it.

The District borrowed from the water and sewer funds, which are supported by rates paid by customers, to cover the costs of operating and maintaining parks and recreation programs, in the absence of any dedicated revenue source.

This was the pattern for the nearly 20 years it had parks under its control.

The March 2018 ballot measure was a last-ditch effort by the District to secure parks funding. With its failure, responsibility for parks was turned over to the county.

This is the first of what county staff hope to be more visible signs of improvements at Jim Williford and Rosamond (Glendower) parks.

County staff works with the Rosamond Little League, which is contracted for operations of the ball fields at what is formally Rosamond Park, but known locally as Glendower. Shortly before the season begins, staff addresses the immediate maintenance needs at the fields.

Those ball fields is one target for which they are constantly searching for new sources of funding for projects large and small, Brewer said.

This includes applying for grants and plans to appeal to a homebuilder with a new development in the area near Jim Williford Park, Howard said.

Staff is also seeking input from residents as to what they want to see and to prioritize for local parks.

When a second round of state grant applications under Proposition 68 opens likely later this year, Rosamond Park may be a target.

This year, staff selected parks that most closely met the grant criteria in order to have the best chance at securing up to $8.5 million in grant funds to remodel and refurbish each park selected.

In East Kern County, that was Mojave East Park. A series of public workshops was held to create and refine a design for a revamped park.

The grant awards are expected to be announced in March.

“If we get any of these grants, that’s going to open up a new way we see parks in Kern County,” Howard said.

Even without a grant award, the plans may be used to address needs piece by piece, Brewer said. The designs focus on sustainability and efficiency, with artificial turf, multi-use features, LED lighting and new smart systems for things such as lighting, reservations and the like.