City Recreation for Disabled Kids Studied

Rather than send disabled Moorpark children to Thousand Oaks for therapeutic after-school programs, Moorpark may create similar programs of its own.

Two City Council members want to explore the possibility of creating programs similar to the Teen Club, basketball team and Special Olympics swim team offered by the Conejo Recreation and Park District. The council is scheduled to vote on the recommendation tonight.

The idea came in response to a local parent whose child participates in the Thousand Oaks programs. Bonny Burns-Whitmore asked city leaders to help provide transportation, estimating that seven Moorpark children already use the Thousand Oaks programs and 11 more would if transportation were available.

But giving the kids rides to Thousand Oaks could cost between $92 and $554 each week, according to a city staff report. With such a high price for transportation, Mayor Patrick Hunter and Councilman John Wozniak suggested the city explore creating its own programs through the city’s recreation department.