Fort Wildwood is being torn down
Source of this article – Thousand Oaks Acorn, January 29, 2009.
Park district and Rotary clubs will start renovation of Wildwood Park
WALLS ARE COMING DOWN—Conejo Recreation and Park District equipment supervisor Robert Nunes, left, and Marc Gann, right, remove a piece of the Fort Wildwood wall in Wildwood Neighborhood Park. The fort, built in the mid-’60s, will be replaced by a 30-by-30-foot concrete picnic pad. Removal of the 40-year-old structure began yesterday.
Conejo Recreation and Park District, in partnership with local Rotary clubs, has begun renovation of the Wildwood Fort area at the park district’s Wildwood Neighborhood Park.
The fort, acquired by the district in 1977, was constructed in the mid-1960s as an attraction for the sale of homes in the Wildwood tract. Due to structural deficiencies and noncompliance with playground safety standards, the fort area was fenced off by the park district nine years ago.
To begin the revitalization of the area, the district will first deconstruct the fort.
“We hope to save as much of the hardware as possible for reuse in the new area. We will also try to preserve as much of the wood as possible for future applications, but unfortunately nearly all of the wood is rotted and probably contains creosote,” said Tom Hare, administrator for parks and planning with the district. Workers yesterday said it apparently had termites.
Once the fort is removed, a 30by60foot concrete picnic pad will be poured, connecting the original stem walls of the fort footprint.
Staff and about 70 local Rotarians will install a tworail split fence around the perimeter on Feb. 28, and also put in four picnic tables, plant surrounding native landscaping and trail work, and an entryway to the area.
