Council Approves Shuttle for Tourists : Ventura: Members vote to spend $24,000 plus federal funds for a gas-powered trolley to travel between downtown, the beaches and harbor.

VENTURA —  In this city’s continuing effort to boost tourism and attract more visitors, the City Council late Monday approved the purchase of a new trolley to shuttle tourists from downtown to the beaches and harbor.

The council agreed to spend up to $24,000 of city money to purchase a gas-powered trolley, with the balance of funding coming from a federal transportation grant.

Council members also made numerous other decisions Monday night as they sought to wrap up city business before a four-week summer recess.

The purchase of a trolley will be the city’s third attempt to establish such a system, but officials are confident that this time a public-private agreement will work. Two privately run systems have failed in recent years.

The latest deal calls for the city to purchase the trolley and lease it to a private operator for $1 a year.

Ventura County Shuttle Inc., the proposed operator, would be required to maintain the vehicle and in return would reap all the ridership and advertising revenues.

Under the agreement approved Monday, the council authorized City Manager Donna Landeros to execute an operation plan with Ventura County Shuttle after a public hearing Sept. 11.

The trolley service would begin sometime this fall, running six days a week between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and as few as four days a week during the winter off-season.

Initially, fares would be 25 cents per person, although fares could increase in the future.

But Mayor Tom Buford recommended that the trolley rides be free. “We’ve already made a commitment to this project,” he said.

During a lengthy meeting Monday night, the City Council also:

* Approved spending $366,000 to launch the Ventura River Estuary Enhancement Project, which seeks to replant 35 acres in the river-mouth area with native plant life because intrusive giant reeds and other species are crowding them out. The contract was awarded to Acacia Landscaping & Erosion Control of Santa Barbara, which submitted the low bid.

* Approved a 5% pay raise for managers in the Ventura Police Department, retroactive to July 1, a salary hike that will cost taxpayers about $41,000 a year.

* Agreed to spend up to $20,000 to study potential locations for a proposed skateboard park. A committee of three council members has been studying a plan to build such a park somewhere in Ventura because some downtown merchants have complained that skateboarders scare away their customers.

* Extended a contract with Economic & Planning Systems of Berkeley, which has been advising the city on its plans to expand the Buenaventura Mall to four anchor stores and a second level of shops. The action increases the contract to $80,150 from $23,780, and extends the pact through December.

* Spent an additional $100,000 to complete the almost-finished California Plaza project, which has been stalled by a lack of funds, cost overruns and vandalism. Council members last year authorized $590,000 for the project, and in January approved an additional $175,000. With the latest move, the city has agreed to spend up to $865,000 on the renovation at the Ventura Beach Promenade.

* Delayed until January a decision on whether to sell 87 acres of city-owned land in east Ventura to a developer. The council approved the delay until after the November election because voters in the fall will decide the fate of an open-space initiative that would preserve farmlands within the city.

* Approved spending $7,000 to study what the economic impact to the city would be if a marine education center is built near Ventura Harbor. The Ventura Port District is scheduled to fund half of the $14,000 analysis.