The County Board of Supervisors has extended until May 31 its private level contract with former congressman Doug Ose to manage Gibson Ranch, giving the board more time to consider Ose’s renewal proposal, redirect management of the park back to Sacramento Department of Regional Parks, or go another direction and solicit bids from other private contractors.

While the extension of his contract may not necessarily mean Ose will be granted a renewal to manage Gibson Ranch, it doesn’t rule out the option either. In fact, Ose said it was because discussions with the board of supervisors were going so well that he agreed to the extension. While enjoying a $22,000 profit in 2015, Ose has said he is currently losing $20,000 a month due to labor cost increases and, unless he can obtain a new contract that includes some of his ideas for revenue-generating programs, he’s ready to walk away.

“I agreed to extend my deadline of my contract and I never would have done that had I not seen our discussions as being positive, or had I not thought that we were going to come to an amicable or acceptable agreement,” Ose said.

Ose assumed management of the 325-acre nature reserve after steep financial losses by the county put the park on the brink of closure in 2011. Ose’s current, five-year contract was set to run out April 30, putting the future of Gibson Ranch, which he has said served 100,000 visitors in 2016, at risk of closure again.

While Ose has declined to discuss the details of any proposed new financial arrangement, his plan includes a contract for 20 years instead of five, as well as increasing the park’s entry fee from $5 to $8. In addition, he’s interested in installing as many as 50 full hook-up RV sites that could generate as much as $12,000 a month in revenue for the park, and wants to expand facility rentals to include big-ticket events, such as high school graduations.

Ose’s original agreement allowed him to rent the park for $1 a year plus half of his profits. In turn, the county agreed to pay Ose $500,000 over the current life of the contract for deferred maintenance. Ose has said that arrangement is no longer viable and that monthly expenses are now coming directly out of his pocket and he needs to “stop the bleeding.”

Matt Hedges, chief of staff for County Supervisor Sue Frost who recently toured Gibson in preparation for her discussions with the board on Ose’s contract, said she and Ose want the park to remain open, however the board needs to weigh all options on the table. Frost and fellow board members will spend the next few weeks, he said, reviewing a pending report from Regional Parks detailing a scenario for it to assume management of the park, as well as Ose’s proposal.

“In addition to the option of renewing a contract for Mr. Ose, county parks also will be offering its own plan to operate the park under a traditional model without a lot of extra amenities,” Hedges said.

Should management be turned back over to the parks department, it would require the hiring of additional staff, according to Hedges, who added that the department would also be faced with the challenge of how to manage the park’s equestrian boarding program launched under Ose’s tenure.

“That plan would include using county staff to manage the park, as well as the creation of three new and two seasonal positions,” said Hedges. “In addition, because the department has never run an equestrian boarding program, it needs to weigh that element as well.”

Parks Director Jeff Leatherman has declined repeated requests for comment.

Hedges said the third option to be deliberated by the board is to open up the process to other, private bids, which could be considered alongside Ose’s proposal. Although a few inquiries have come in, no serious proposals from other private contenders have been put forward, Hedges said, adding that fact alone puts Ose in a very positive position. Ose agreed.

“I’m feeling very positive,” said Ose. “And I want to say that I appreciate the county’s consideration of my concerns and plans, and the mutual goal is to keep Gibson open.”