City leaders learned this week that it will cost approximately $60 million to bring the city’s vision to beautify the Arroyo to life.

During a meeting Wednesday, the Arroyo Simi Committee was presented with preliminary cost estimates for different parts of the proposed Arroyo Simi Greenway.

Jeff Ferber, a principal with RRM Design Group, the consultant hired by the city and the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District, told the committee that the long-term project to revitalize the Arroyo would cost $59.2 million.

The estimate is in today’s dollars and does not account for inflation. Though the number is high, Ferber said he was surprised it wasn’t higher; he suspected it would be closer to $75 million.

Councilmember Steve Sojka, who co-chairs the committee, told the Acorn after the meeting that, while $60 million is an incredible amount of money, it would not be needed all at once. The greenway will take an estimated 20 to 25 years to complete, and when the project is broken down into chunks, it is more manageable and doable.

“Even though it’s a huge number, you’re talking about a long-term plan,” Sojka said. “We’ll take it little by little. Hopefully it will happen in my lifetime.”

He added that the greenway project is the perfect candidate for various types of grants because the project is so all-encompassing.

He said there are greenhouse gas emission funds, transportation funds—including the Safe Route to Schools program—and recovery act funds, and that the city just has to be “aggressive” in applying for them.

One pot of funding the city is hoping to cash in on is Proposition 84. The city and the park district jointly applied for about $875,000, and the district is still waiting for a decision.

In addition, planning staff will continue to ask new development projects along the Arroyo to incorporate improvements into their plans. Ed Hayduk, assistant general manager for the park district, said the district is actively trying to direct volunteer efforts toward the arroyo, too.

The city is also hoping private enterprise, foundations and other community groups will chip in, whether it be through in-kind donations or “sweat equity,” Sojka said.

“It’s neat to see how excited people get, and they do want to get involved, and if it comes from the community, that’s even better,” he said.

The Arroyo begins on the east end of Simi at Corriganville Park and runs 12 miles through the center of the city and into Moorpark. The wash, as residents call it, is managed by the city, the park district and the Ventura County Watershed Protection District.

In 2007, a Visioning Study was conducted to gather ideas for revitalizing the Arroyo Simi and turning it into a recreational asset for the community.

The greenway would enhance pedestrian and bicycle access, connect the city’s parks and schools and improve the overall look of the corridor.

In addition to discussing cost estimates, the committee Wednesday agreed to move ahead with the Specific Plan drafted by the consultant. The plan defines the development standards for the improvements that would be undertaken along the Arroyo.

The city’s planning commission will review the plan in mid-December or early January, and the City Council will vote on it shortly thereafter.

For more information, visit the city’s website and under Departments click on Environmental Services/Planning Division and then Arroyo Simi Greenway.