Community Commentary:

A recent community commentary (“Help yourself, committee,” April 16) might lead some to believe the only ones who want to preserve the Verdugo Hills Golf Course and expand its recreational possibilities are a handful of people who single-mindedly have their heads in the sand. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Participating in the efforts to save the Verdugo Hills Golf Course are local residents and community leaders from throughout the greater Crescenta Valley corridor, Glendale and neighboring communities. A few of the five neighborhood councils and 26 organizations supporting the preservation of this property include the Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council, Crescenta Valley Town Council, Sunland-Tujunga Alliance, Glendale-Crescenta Volunteers Organized in Conserving the Environment, or V.O.I.C.E., Glendale Homeowners Coordinating Council, Los Angeles Trails Project and the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club.

A full list of organizations and elected officials in favor of saving the Verdugo Hills Golf Course is available at www.savethegolfcourse.org. The majority of groups listed have members, current or former, who are active participants in efforts to save the Verdugo Hills Golf Course.

Community members working to preserve the Verdugo Hills Golf Course and its extended property are well aware of our current economic problems.

Since forming in 2006, the Verdugo Hills Golf Course Committee has promoted a multi-jurisdictional solution to preserving this important community asset. Because of the property’s location, the goal has been for the city of Los Angeles, the county of Los Angeles, the city of Glendale, and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy to share the benefits, as well as varying degrees of the cost in securing this property.

There is no “lump sum” answer to saving the Verdugo Hills Golf Course. Funding must be pieced together utilizing a variety of sources. The primary focus for funding continues to be sources designated for recreational use, environmental improvements, as well as open space acquisition — funds that are restricted for those specific needs.

In 2007, county Supervisor Michael Antonovich pledged $1.7-million in Proposition A funds toward the purchase of the golf course, providing the first piece of the funding puzzle. Los Angeles City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel’s office has identified Quimby fees and is looking into the city’s Golf Surcharge Fund.