OPENING OF SAN PEDROS NEW 16-ACRE PARK
MAYOR VILLARAIGOSA, COUNCILWOMAN HAHN JOIN PORT OFFICIALS AND HARBOR COMMUNITY TO CELEBRATE
SAN PEDRO, Calif. — January 9, 2010 — Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Councilwoman Janice Hahn, Harbor Commissioners and San Pedro locals today officially opened a 16-acre park on the site of a former tank farm in San Pedro across from 22nd Street Landing at the Port of Los Angeles. The first new park to be built in green-space challenged San Pedro in years, 22nd Street Park is part of the Ports efforts to redevelop waterfront properties for the benefit of the community. It offers walking and biking trails, shade trees, a bocce ball court, restrooms, ample parking and more than four-acres of flat grassy area for recreation, all with a water view.
What a terrific day to open this beautiful park, said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Today the community reclaims this scenic piece of land for the enjoyment of local residents and visitors. This park is yet another example that the Port is on the right track to balancing its business needs with the communitys needs.
"We have transformed what was once a vacant, blighted property into a beautiful open space for people from all over the region to use and enjoy, said Los Angeles Councilwoman Janice Hahn. This is a great step forward in the revitalization of our San Pedro waterfront."
The grand opening celebration had an old-fashioned picnic theme and included a 50-foot inflatable obstacle course, Frisbee toss, sack races, hula-hoop contest, beach ball skills obstacle course, foot-sack skills area, face painting and a free hot dog lunch cooked up by the Los Angeles Fire Department Historical Society. Nearly 1,000 people attended the celebration.
This park has something for everyone open space for vigorous activities, paths for strolling or jogging, paths for bike riding along its perimeter and even places to just sit and read a little about the history of the land. Its an invitation to spend time at the waters edge in the Port, said Jerilyn López Mendoza, Harbor Commission Vice President.
The new park, bounded by 22nd Street, Crescent Avenue and Miner Street in San Pedro, has been newly planted with 500 trees, 1,700 shrubs and 4 ½ acres of sod. The park includes a sloped area near Crescent Avenue and 22nd Street which had previously included native and non-native/invasive plants and a freshwater marsh. The Port took great care to remove the invasive species while preserving and enhancing the marsh and native plants in creating the new park. In addition, a pedestrian path was created from the elevated Crescent Avenue area down into the park flatlands to provide an up-close view of this native habitat.
In addition to the native and drought-resistant plants, other environmental features of the park include use of recycled water for landscaping maintenance (purple pipe) and bioswales for stormwater management.
The included elements and design of the park are the result of local community input from public meetings and a design workshop. Construction of the park began in June 2006 and was completed at a total cost of $10.5 million. The park was designed by Kammeyer & Associates of Corona, Calif. and constructed by Griffith Company of Santa Fe Springs.
The park will be enjoyed by the community on a first-come, first-served basis as state tidelands trust rules forbid the ongoing organized, single-activity recreational use of Port land. Those wishing to use the park for an organized purpose must apply to and be given permission by the Ports Real Estate Division.
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4:28
San Pedro, Californiaby theferm9073118,692 views
OMG! Fady @ 4:20!!! How's Dina?
Randy
drombit 1 year ago