After the Santa Clarita City Council approved the purchase last month, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors is set on Tuesday to vote on formally transferring the ownership of William S. Hart Park to the city.
The county and city have been negotiating for months on the 160-acre property — including the Hart Mansion and its 6,000-piece archive, which was curated by the L.A. County Natural History Museum; nine parcels comprising 156 acres; a barnyard and a host of animals, including a herd of bison that began as a gift from Walt Disney; as well as the Santa Clarita History Center (formerly known as Heritage Junction) and the former senior center property.
It is estimated that the initial takeover will cost the city $200,000, according to the motion authored by 5thDistrict Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents the Santa Clarita Valley. City officials estimated at the last City Council meeting that there will be nearly $400,000 in startup costs related to title transfers and other permits, and then approximately $2.6 million a year in annual upkeep.
In terms of revenue, the city is expecting close to $400,000 annually by the first full year of operation in the 2025-26 fiscal year, citing the facility’s ability to host events such as big parties or weddings.
“I know that everybody that’s in this room, staff, you’re going to have great pride in this,” said City Councilwoman Laurene Weste following the council’s unanimous approval of the purchase. “And it is one of those things that will leave a legacy for — it will touch everyone in this valley.”
The county has been in control of the park since 1946 when Hart bequeathed his Newhall-based ranch and home in his will to be a public park and museum.
According to Barger’s motion, the county has invested millions of dollars in public infrastructure in the nearly eight decades of its control of the park, which has hosted specialty programming such as the annual Pow Wow, a collaboration with the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians and one of the region’s largest gatherings of indigenous peoples.
The motion states that the city will ensure that animals currently residing at the park, including the herd of bison, will “live out their natural lives at Hart Park, without threat of transfer or euthanasia that is not medically necessary, and the city will adopt the county’s animal welfare plan for the animal residents of William S. Hart Park to ensure that the continuity of care for Hart Park’s beloved animal residents will remain consistent during and long after the transition.”
The transfer would not be subject to the California Environmental Quality Act as there would be no change in use of the facility.
Current county employees who work at the park will be transferred to other county parks to address a “gap in needed staffing.”
Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting is set to begin at 9:30 a.m. at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration located at 500 W. Temple St. in downtown L.A.
To watch the meeting online, visit tinyurl.com/ybem4esf.