Greening the Land

Knoll Hill Sketches Unveiled

Officials presented draft plans of possible recreational uses for Knoll Hill at a community meeting Tuesday.

The designs include a mix of play areas, ballfields, trails, community gathering spaces, lookout points, picnic tables and other elements. (Click on the images to enlarge).









The public is invited to submit comments to Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative, answering these questions:

1. Do you have a strong preference for one of the conceptual alternatives over the others? Which one and why?

2. Indicate the program elements you would support having in the final Knoll Hill conceptual alternative. (You may indicate as many as you like with a *.)

DISCOVERY / PLAY AREA / ORGANIZED PLAY
Tot Lot – age 2-5
Play Equipment – age 7-12
Nature Play / Discovery Areas
Water Play Areas
Playground Games
Game Tables
Baseball Fields
Multi-Purpose Open Fields
Interpretive Signage (Learning & Education)

TRAILS
Pedestrian Trails and Paths
Stairs
Fitness Equipment at Stations
Bike Paths
Perimeter Sidewalk (Improvements on Front St.)
Gates
Security Fencing

COMMUNITY GATHERING
Amphitheater
Informal Gathering Space
Civic/Community Event Space
Outdoor Classroom

PLANTING
Native Planting Communities
Hillside Native Vegetation
Trees
Demonstration Gardens

BASIC AMENITIES
Lighting (for aesthetics and safety)
Rest Room Facilities
Drinking Fountains
Doggie Drinking Fountains
Seating
Shade (structure, trees)
Gateway Elements (signage, structures, lighting)
Emergency Call Box
Bike Racks
Open Lawn Areas

VIEW / ACTIVITY NODES
Lookouts
Education/Information Vista Points
Sculpture
Water Feature (e.g. fountain)
Restore “Knoll Hill” lettering on side of hill
Landmark Visual Feature - complementing bridge
Memorial
Individual Picnic
Group Picnic
BBQs

3. Which program elements would you not support having in the final Knoll Hill alternative?

4. Are there any program elements that you feel are missing from the concepts?

Send answers to Norma Fernandez at norma@lani.org. Contact Fernandez by email or phone (213-627-1822 ext. 13) to join the mailing list for notices of upcoming Knoll Hill meetings.

New Trees for Downtown’s Vinegar Hill

A crowd gathered on Palos Verdes Street near Ninth Street on Jan. 31 to mark the planting of 89 ornamental pear trees in the area around the Vinegar Hill historic preservation district.

The city’s environmental affairs department provided funds for the trees as part of a project to plant 1,000 trees throughout Los Angeles. The department also paid for cutting holes in sidewalks to accommodate the trees.

The inspiration for this project was an old picture of San Pedro that Vinegar Hill resident Kara McLeod saw at a local restaurant. The photo showed the area covered with trees. She wondered why her neighborhood didn’t look like that anymore and decided to do something about it.

From left: Phillip West, an unidentified Vinegar Hill resident, John Mattson, Kara McLeod, Councilwoman Janice Hahn and other volunteers planted trees in the historic district last week.

She enlisted her husband, John Mattson, and a neighbor, Phillip West, in the effort.

West canvassed area residents to see if they would support the idea of adding trees along their streets. He talked about a growing sense of excitement as people got a sense of how the trees could enhance their neighborhood.

Mattson, a member of the city’s community redevelopment agency San Pedro advisory committee, said, “This shows that grassroots efforts can work. It started with a few people, and with the help of the environmental affairs department, we got it done.”

When mature, the Bradford flowering pear tree should reach a height of about 30-35 feet. It has snow white flowers in the spring, green leaves in the summer, and turns red-orange in the fall. Area residents chose this variety of tree for its colorful foliage.