The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • Page 366

section Co Atujcte imas VCCCt SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1995 Summertime Plays It Cool on Last Day Clarita who brought a group of children to the beach despite overcast skies, can't wait for the fall. "I'm ready for summer to end," she said. "I don't have to run my air conditioner every day. So that makes me happy." This summer brought spells of extreme heat, with temperatures surpassing 100 degrees in inland areas such as Simi Valley and Qjai. But forecasters said the summer did not break any heat records.

And the season ended with a week of fog that reached deep into the valleys. Forecasters said a low-pressure system originating in Northern California continued to push a cool sea breeze across much of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties Friday, bringing early-morning fog and cooler temperatures with it. t.r "I hate it," said Rea Strange, a meteorologist with Please see FALL; B9 By CARLOS V.LOZANO TIMES STAFF WRITER Shrouded in fog and touched by a cool ocean breeze, the last day of summer in Ventura County brought with it more than a hint of fall. With temperatures in the low to mid-60s across the region, a scattering of Ventura beach-goers on Friday lamented the changing of the seasons. "I hate it when the season changes because I usually get sick," said Camarillo resident Takeo Kingi, who spent the day fishing on the pier.

"I enjoy the summer, the beach and the long evenings." But others, like Rob Williams of Agoura Hills, prefer the cooler weather. "I'd rather have a day like this than to be torched by the sun," said Williams, who tried surfing Friday for the first time. "Besides, I just moved out here from Chicago. I'm used to 10 or 15 degrees below zero. In California, I plan to surf all winter long." Terry Whittingham, a day-care operator from Santa i1 POiNT MUGU HIGH FLYING: Mike O'Hearn and his Grumman F8F will fly in the 33rd annual Point Mugu Air Show today and Sunday.

B3 Proposed Site for Reservoir Angers Area Residents Neighborhood: Plan for4-million-gaIlon water tank near a fault draws ire of Camarillo Heights homeowners. City may reconsider. "7s- --aA Yy -i 'Jr -t Al ZL i'MHzt ViC-V '1- fry- 1 fn. 5 -tv 9 1 I THOUSAND OAKS ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX: The city may sign a pact with a firm to develop a lot next to the Arts Plaza into an entertainment center. B4 SPECIAL HOME: A homeowner who is taking in terminally ill patients is surprised that neighbors' concerns have not been resolved.

B2 SIM! VALLEY SMOLDERING LANDFILL: Workers poured clay on top of the Simi Valley Landfill in an effort to smother an underground fire. B6 CAMARILLO ROAD DETOUR: Drivers on Adolf Road between Lewis and Flynn will have to detour Tuesday and Wednesday for railroad work. B3 VENTURA DAY CARE DISPUTE: Pierpont School parents are urging the district to keep a day-care building. Homeowners say it blocks their views. B3 POPULAR SCHOOL: Ventura school district officials are seeking ways to reduce crowding at Buena High.

BS -j- Tonlght't Jackpot: $8 million Tims: Sales close at 7:40 p.m. r- For Friday, Sept. 22 FANTASY 5 Winning Number: 18-22-34-30-39 DECCO Winning Card: Hearts: 6 Clubs: 6 Diamonds: Queen Spades: 7 DAILY 3 Winning Number: 2-3-0 TlmesLlne 808-8463 Super Lotto 5610 Dally 3 5620 Cards 5630 Fantasy 5 5640 For same-day results, call TimesLine from the 2 1 3. 310:714, 818 and 909 area codes. From the 805 area code, call (8 1 8) 808-8463.

H.3 Diapered in a safety harness, Stephen Quick leaps from the pinnacle of the Pamper Pole to a trapeze deliberately placed beyond his reach. By NICK GREEN SPECIAL TO THE TIMES CAMARILLO City leaders knew it would be a "sensitive project" when they proposed putting a 4-million-gallon water tank near an earthquake fault in an affluent neighborhood. But they failed to realize just how irate residents of Camarillo Heights would get over the plan. Now, even the Camarillo mayor is opposed. "I knew there would be controversy," city Engineering Services Director Dan Greeley said.

"I didn't know it would be to this extent." Residents say the 140-foot-wide concrete tank, which would be partially buried, would be an eyesore that would lower property values. More than that, homeowners fear the consequences of an earthquake in the hilly, fault-lined area. And they were triply offended because Camarillo Heights isn't even in the city; it is an unincorporated area north of the line. "The residents of the Camarillo Heights area are very angry," said Mike Kory, a Warner Bros, vice president who lives about 50 feet from one of two proposed sites on Mesa Drive. "I think we're still in shock the city would even consider a project of this scope and magnitude in the middle of a residential neighborhood." More than 100 people packed an Aug.

30 informational meeting where the city unveiled its plans for the to project. Scores more turned up at last week's City Council meeting to protest Many joined a hastily formed group called the Safety First Homeowners Assn. that claims more than 250 members and seeks to kill the idea. City officials refer to the project as a "reservoir," while irate Please see WATER, B4 PhoUwbyJOEPUGLIESE Lot Angela Timet Eddie Shin faces his fear high above Ojai Valley School grounds. Hanging Together Ropes Course Aims to Teach Trust, Build Character TT1 I a I 5.1' i i.

'I ti-S ft' There's the Spider's Web, where students work together to pass a person through an intricate set of ropes without touching the cords. There's the Multi-Vine, a set of four ropes hanging from a cable 30 feet in the air, each just out of reach and progressively farther apart. It, js designed to test one's trust in oneself and in two coaches on the ground. The finale is the Pamper Pole named after the diapers which involves throwing oneself off a 30-foot pole to a dangling trapeze far out of reach. Even if one is secured by a safety rope, it is the ultimate leap of faith.

There is not much chance of catching the trapeze, said 18-year-old Stephen Quick, a senior from Las Vegas. "The odds are all on the house." The ropes course will be offered as a regular Please see ROPES, Bit By NICK GREEN SPECIAL TO THE TIMES OJAI If life is an obstacle course and the trick to navigating it is learning the proverbial ropes, students at the Qjai Valley School should have an advantage. The private, nonprofit boarding school has installed a $40,000 state-of-the-art "ropes course" on its upper campus on Reeves Road that includes about 20 complex and daunting obstacles. The course is designed to foster the skills needed to tackle life. "This is not about success or failure," course instructor Mark Aimone said.

"It's about kids working together, cooperating with each other. It's about teamwork and communication." David Kim completes Zip Line segment of ropes course. Simi's Bicentennial Party Finally Under Way i Ventura County Focus B2.B3 Obituaries B8 Weather B13 Voices B17 I L.M II 1 vvu- It was in 1795 that King Carlos IV of Spain rewarded a worn-out old soldier named Santiago Pico for 20 years of faithful service by granting him 113,000 acres of tawny hills and valleys known as El Rancho Simi the future Simi Valley and Moorpark. But only this week did organizers kick bicentennial plans into high gear and set a date for the celebration's finale party a year late, in January, 1996. "I don't know why it didn't happen earlier," Larry Freed, head of the El Rancho Simi Bicentennial Committee, said with a sigh.

"It just seemed to take quite awhile to get things to gel. And it took awhile before we were able to get a group of people that were able to dedicate their time." Celebration: After months of delays and confusion, organizers kick plans into high gear. By MACK REED TIMES STAFF WRITER You might not have noticed, but Simi Valley is celebrating its bicentennial. Or what's left of it. After months of delays, confusion and obscurity for the 200th anniversary of the settlement of El Rancho Simi, city historian Pat Havens promised Friday that "the logjam has been broken and we're getting a lot done." Family crises including the deaths of Freed's mother and another member's father interfered with meetings and plans.

Fund raising has been slow starting and sporadic. And, Freed said, it's hard to get Simi residents excited about a 200-year-old land grant when livelier distractions clamor for attention, such as the Simi Valley Days carnival and parties for the modern city's 25th anniversary. Mayor Greg Stratton sympathized. "I think it is difficult to get people really excited about that, as compared to some of the other historical things," he said. "It's hard to say that something really happened, when all Please see SIMI, B7 On tha Record The reservoir "degrades the neighborhood, if nothing else." Camarillo Mayor Mike Morgan on a disputed water project.

Bl TONY RIVETTI For The Timet Commemorative button marking Simi Valley's 200th anniversary. m. M.itk. -s afc, jaV- Hfc, iHc bb tCt. m.

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