Reata Park Could Eventually Cost $300K a Year to Maintain

The San Juan Capistrano City Council will discuss Tuesday how much it will cost to run and maintain a controversial park on the eastern edge of town now under construction.

The Reata Park and Event Center along Ortega Highway at Reata Road will feature equestrian corrals, a welcome center and an event center which could serve as a wedding venue. A local nonprofit, the San Juan Capistrano Open Space Foundation, is paying for most of the construction-related costs.

However, once it is open – no sooner than April 2014, according to a city staff report – the city is responsible for running it, securing it and maintaining it.

Most of the maintenance costs, which could run as high as $300,000 annually, will be paid for by the fees the city collects to lease out the nearby Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park, currently run by Blenheim Facility Management on a $225,000 annual lease, according to a city staff report.

The rest should be covered by fees to use the park’s facilities, according to staff. Parties wishing to hold weddings, parties, run/walks, outdoor concerts and other events for as many as 250 people will pay event fees that vary depending on the use and size, according to staff.

The park is expected to cost $235,000-245,000 a year to maintain initially, and between $275,000-300,000 annually as use picks up, according to staff.

It will open daily at 7:30 a.m. and close by nightfall to protect the environmentally sensitive areas along San Juan Creek, city staff writes.

The City Council meets at 4 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 32400 Paseo Adelanto in San Juan Capistrano.  

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