Civic Arts Plaza May Lose Major Tenant : Thousand Oaks: Because of the state funding crunch, the Conejo Recreation and Parks District might drop plans to move into the $64-million complex.

Although the new Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza is not scheduled to open until late 1994, it may already be losing one of its major tenants.

Administrators of the Conejo Recreation and Park District recommend that the district drop its plans to acquire office space in the $64-million complex because of tight budget constraints.

“We just don’t have the resources and wherewithal to proceed at this time,” said Tex Ward, general manager of the park district.

The district’s board of directors decided in March, 1990, to move ahead with plans to purchase 10,000 square feet of office space in the Civic Arts Plaza’s government center for $2 million. But Ward said the park district was in much better financial shape then.

The park district lost $1 million in property tax revenues last year when the Legislature decided to grab money from special districts throughout California to help balance the state budget.

The district expects a similar loss in revenue this year. Ward said the Legislature is already looking at siphoning $590 million from special districts to offset deep losses in tax revenues caused by the continuing recession.

“The state could take twice as much as last year” from the park district, he said.

The park district had been planning to sell its current office building in the 100 block of Wilbur Road to help finance the move into the government and arts complex. Ward said the sale of the building would only cover half of the $2 million needed to acquire the new office space, with the rest of the money coming from the district’s General Fund.

He said given the fiscal uncertainties that the park district is facing, it is important that it protect its financial stability. The district currently has $7.9 million in its general fund, which is supported mostly by developer fees and property taxes.

The district’s five-member board will consider Ward’s recommendation at its Thursday meeting, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the Goebel Senior Adult Center.

Park officials first announced in January that the district might not be able to afford to move into the Civic Arts Plaza, but said they would wait for an indication from state officials on their budget shortfalls.

City officials said Monday that they are disappointed at the prospects of losing the park district as a tenant in the Civic Arts Plaza.

But Mayor Judy Lazar said that she understands the district’s position.

“They suffered a tremendous loss last year, and it looks like they’re going to get hit again this year,” Lazar said. “Certainly, we’re disappointed. But we’re all aware of the financial circumstances that every public entity is in right now.”

Lazar said that she does not believe that the city will have any difficulty finding another tenant to take over the space reserved for park district.

“There has been some strong interest in that space by other entities,” she said, declining to mention any names.

Councilman Frank Schillo said the Civic Arts Plaza space has a lot to offer prospective tenants.

“This is going to be the premiere location on Thousand Oaks Boulevard,” he said.

The mayor said that it’s possible the city could lease the office space, so that sometime in the future the park district would have another opportunity to purchase it.

The City Council is scheduled at its meeting tonight to hold a special study session to discuss the construction, design and finances of the Civic Arts Plaza.