Birds from around the world have called it home since it was built in 1926 outside Santa Paula in Steckel Park.
Now Ventura County officials plan to demolish the Steckel Park aviary, saying it is dilapidated and would cost too much to make it an acceptable shelter for the feathered creatures.
"The county just doesn't have that kind of money now," Ventura County Supervisor Kathy Long said.
Exactly when the bird sanctuary will be torn down is unknown, said Ron Van Dyck, deputy director of the Ventura County Parks Department, which takes care of Steckel Park.
County officials plan to first find homes for the 100-plus birds now at the shelter, which is next to Highway 150, about five miles north of downtown Santa Paula. The birds include ducks and doves, parrots and parakeets, lovebirds and turkeys, and conures and cockatiels...
Once the shelter is gone, the county expects to save about $11,000 a year, money that is now spent in feeding and caring for the birds, Long said...
Back then, in the pre-Prop. 13 days, the county and other public agencies had enough funding to support not only the aviary but many other amenities, including an amphitheater at Steckel Park, Slaughter said.
"The aviary was a popular place for many years with families and children," Slaughter.
"It was almost like a small zoo."
But many public facilities across California have deteriorated since the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978, Slaughter said.
Grover Norquist be praised. The only question is when--or if--voters will wake up to why we can't have nice things anymore. The sad part is that many of the families who will be upset over the closure will have voted for anti-tax Republicans like Tony Strickland because of "family values."
