ARD has come a long way (A Closer Look cont.)

A few years ago, Auburn Recreation District was fodder for headlines and news stories focusing on a controversial chief and a splintered board of directors. Now, with new District Administrator Kahl Muscott at the helm and a board working together, ARD has been out of the negative spotlight. Muscott said ARD has been focusing on more mundane tasks such as infrastructure improvements, which don’t get the attention of reporters. The only controversial project has been the Ashley Memorial Dog Park slated to go in Ashford Park. “We hope to start some of the early part of the construction in the next two to three weeks,” Muscott said. “For the actual dog park itself, there’s not a lot of work to do. We have to pour some concrete, make improvements to the road and some fencing needs to go up. We just need to get it open.” Ashford will also see a new and improved picnic area. “We’re working on replacing the old picnic structure at Ashford Park and making improvements to the general picnic area,” he  said. Also, tennis fans will have more courts to look forward to come spring. “We have two tennis courts at Regional Park that are approximately halfway done, but weather has delayed us. We still have to do some heavy equipment work and when the soil dries out, we’ll get back to it. They should be open by end of March or early April. It’s all weather dependent,” he said. “Tennis is booming at Regional Park.” ARD is also teaming up with Auburn Little League, Placer High School, and the Placer County Contractors Association to make improvements to Beggs Field and James Field at Recreation Park. Budget problems that once plagued ARD have been tamed, at least for now. “We’re in OK financial shape, but things are going to be tight. About 60 percent of our revenue comes from property taxes (which are down),” he said. “One of the scary things for us is with the state’s budget. If the governor suspends Prop 1A, which is supposed to prevent the state from coming in and taking money from local governments, they could come in and borrow 8 percent, which is a lot of money. We’re all very concerned,” he said. Bookmark Email This Comments (0) Subscribe to this comment's feed Write comment Name Email Website Comment smaller | bigger Subscribe via email (Registered users only) I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage. Write the displayed characters Add Comment