WILDOMAR -- The demolition of old buildings to make way for rebuilding Marna O'Brien Park was delayed but should start next week, county officials said Tuesday.

The demolition had been scheduled to begin March 1 on the site at 20505 Palomar St. A Tustin-based contractor, U.S. Construction, has been selected, but the county needs to get additional information before the job can begin, county Economic Development Agency specialist Gloria Perez said Tuesday.

Members of the Wildomar Parks Formation Committee said the delay should not affect the park's opening by the end of the year.

The delay should not hurt the committee's tight time line because the demolition and construction are under separate contracts, committee member Bridgette Moore said Tuesday. The construction contract is still on schedule, Moore said.

Perez said the contractor is due to be hired next month. The construction contract includes all four parks -- Marna O'Brien, Windsong and Heritage Regency parks in Wildomar and Perret Park in Lakeland Village, she said.

The four parks were closed when voters rejected a $25 annual maintenance fee in 1999. The vote came after allegations that funds were mishandled by the former Ortega Trails Recreation and Park District. The money to reopen the parks, a little more than $110,000 a year, came from property taxes set aside for the former park district.

Windsong, Heritage and Perret parks are expected to be open in spring 2007, Moore said.

Perez said Marna O'Brien is the only park that needs demolition work because it is the only one of the four sites that has buildings. Two structures need to be razed because their materials contain asbestos and lead-based paint, she said. In addition, they are very dilapidated and not repairable, Perez said.

Marna O'Brien, the largest of the four parks at 9 acres, is planned to have two soccer fields, three baseball diamonds, two basketball courts, a fitness course and a concession and restroom building, according to the proposed plans.

Committee member George Cambero said Tuesday the group hopes to ask voters in the Wildomar and Lakeland Village area to approve a parks maintenance fee in August. The fee amount is as yet unknown, pending the results of a study due later this month, Cambero said.

He said he will be happy to see work start at Marna O'Brien.

When residents see that work is being done, "they (will) know we are serious about parks in Wildomar," Cambero said.

Moore said that when the results of the assessment study are available, the committee is planning to hold a big parks rally.

Proposed plans for the four parks are available online at: www.wildomarparks.com.

Contact staff writer Laura Mitchell at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2621, or lmitchell@californian.com.