Foundation Has Plans for Will Rogers Park

By Danielle Gillespie, Staff Writer

2009-11-05
The Will Rogers Ranch Foundation is no longer asking California State Parks for permission to operate Will Rogers State Historic Park in Pacific Palisades.

  'We engaged in that process to become a park operator because we thought the worst ' that the park would be closed,' said Todd Vradenburg, a board member of the foundation, which was incorporated in January 2008 to help preserve the park. 'We have since learned that it is not closing and not suffering the severe operational cutbacks as other parks.'

  After the state cut $14.2 million from State Parks' budget in July and threatened to close as many as 100 parks, the foundation petitioned to operate the 186-acre park that once belonged to legendary actor and humorist Will Rogers. However, in September, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger unveiled a plan that called for reduced spending and fee increases rather than closing parks.

  Instead of operating the park, the foundation would like to strengthen its partnership with State Parks to provide new programs and services, Vradenburg said.

  'The foundation is committed to helping State Parks personnel, any way we can, to minimize the effects of the cuts to the general public,' Vradenburg told the Palisadian-Post.

  The Angeles District (which includes Will Rogers, Leo Carrillo, Malibu Creek, Malibu Lagoon, Point Dume, Point Mugu and Topanga) suffered a budget reduction of $2.2 million. Funding for natural resources, facility maintenance and operations was slashed in half, and there will be no money for road repairs or new equipment, said Angeles District superintendent Ron Schafer.

  Schafer told the Post on Monday that the district has reduced some services and is hoping that it does not have to cut more. 'We are looking at a variety of different funding sources to reduce the impact to the public,' Schafer said, noting that he should have a better sense of the funding situation by the end of the week.

  At Will Rogers, the cost for parking was recently increased from $8 to $12. Park superintendent Lynette Hernandez said she is understaffed, with two vacant positions (a field ranger and supervising ranger). Given the budget situation, Hernandez doesn't know if she will be able to fill those positions.

   The two field rangers at Will Rogers often receive help from the three field rangers at Topanga State Park. The rangers, three field maintenance workers, the maintenance chief and the groundskeeper at Will Rogers are also required under a state mandate to take three furlough days a month.

  'We're at bare bones,' said Hernandez, who also oversees Topanga State Park.

At Topanga, the Dead Horse Trail parking lot is now closed on weekdays, and Musch Campground is closed from Sundays through Thursdays. The reduction from seven days a week to two means that Hernandez's staff does not have to clean the area and restrooms as often.

  On a bright note, Hernandez said the visitor center and gift shop, located inside Will Rogers' garage, is nearly complete. The $170,000 project was delayed because the Pooled Money Investment Board (PMIB) froze bond-funded projects from December 2008 until this spring. The Will Rogers Ranch Foundation has agreed to operate the gift shop.

  Vradenburg said the foundation plans to focus on increasing tourism by hosting more special events and partnering with L.A. sightseeing tour companies.

  The foundation would also like to recruit more volunteers to the docent program, so that tours can include the entire property. Right now, docents only give tours of the historic ranch house.

  'The entire park has history,' said Vradenburg, a Pasadena resident and executive director of the Will Rogers Motion Pictures Pioneers Foundation. 'Will Rogers graded the polo field himself with a mule.'

  In addition, the foundation is advocating guided horseback riding for the general public. Dario Perez offered guided horseback riding rentals through his business, Broken P Horse Rentals, in fall 2008. However, according to Hernandez, it was too expensive for Perez to transport his horses to and from the ranch.

  State Parks is currently fixing Bone Canyon and Mitt pastures, so that a rental group can store its horses at the park, Hernandez said, adding that State Parks is considering several proposals from rental groups.

  Another foundation goal is to raise enough money to purchase a welcome sign and interpretive signs that can be placed around the park, Vradenburg said.

  'Our job is to enhance the park and grow it, so that the public knows it is there and utilizes it to its full capacity,' said Vradenburg, who sits on the board with Jennifer Rogers-Etcheverry (Will's great-granddaughter), Trudi Sandmeier (whose grandfather was Will Rogers' personal assistant), Wyatt McCrea (grandson of actor Joel McCrea) and Diane Keaton (an Academy Award-winning actress).

  The board recently added four new members: Christopher Aronson (senior vice president and co-general sales manager for Twentieth Century Fox), Felice Densa (executive director of the Will Rogers Polo Club), Brian Shea (a Pacific Palisades resident who co-founded the Palisades-Will Rogers 5K/10K Run) and Lester Wood (a Palisadian and Will Rogers State Historic Park docent).