Durango RV Resort donates park
A win-win situation

RED BLUFF DAILY NEWS
06/2008

Red Bluff gained a 25-acre park Tuesday night.

The unused land north of Antelope Boulevard just east of Interstate 5 was offered to the city as part of the approval for the Durango RV Resort's environmental mitigation process in 2004. Though the city agreed to the transfer, the process involved was complicated and time-consuming, Planning Director Scot Timboe said.

The land transfer is good for all involved, Timboe said. In addition to helping offset Durango's effect on the environment, the nearby river means the land is in a flood plain. That makes it expensive to develop, as FEMA requires all buildings in the area be raised to a certain height and city restrictions are even stricter than that.

Gary Breen, owner of Durango and GMB Reality, will retain parcels on the edge of the park for future retail development. For its part, the city gets a free park, Timboe said.

"It's difficult to get land, we're not paying one red cent on it, and the county apparently doesn't want to tax us on it," Timboe said. He thanked Breen and the city for their efforts.

The area will remain largely undeveloped, save for a pathway funded by Durango, he said. Described as a Class 1 bike path, it will run along the east wall of the resort, opening onto Lake Avenue behind Shari's Restaurant and Longs Drugs on one end and the park on the other.

Timboe's enthusiasm was mirrored by Durango General Manager Bill Hollenshade.

"We're excited about doing this," Hollenshade said. "It's an aid to the city, it's an aid to us, and it's an aid to the public. I think it's going to be win-win."
The path will be open to public access even before it becomes paved, Hollenshade said. Once the park opens the first week of July, the path will remain open as long as people refrain from dumping garbage there.

The park may one day connect with the other parks in Red Bluff, including Dog Island, said Venita Philbrick, Red Bluff Trails United member. Money has been limited for trails in recent years.

"It kind of goes up and down," she said. "Hopefully we can tie (the new park) into the Antelope bridge."

More information on the park is available from Scot Timboe at 527-2605, ext. 3063. More information on Durango is available from Hollenshade at 732-1616.