Friday, June 26, 2009

Here a Park, There a Park

Bandini Canyon Groundbreaking


Councilwoman Janice Hahn joined members of the steering committee to break ground on the new Bandini Canyon park. Pictured from left are committee members David Rivera, Robert Fenton, Rose Gonzalez, Rachel Viramontes and Mike Markulis with Councilwoman Hahn, third from left.

Ground was broken Thursday on a desolate patch of land set to become Bandini Canyon Trail Park. When completed in the spring, the barren landscape pictured above will be transformed into five acres of parkland with lighted walking paths, a playground, perimeter fencing, decorative steel gates and native landscaping.

Under the coordination of Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative, a 15-member community steering committee developed plans for the park, located just west of Gaffey Street downhill off of Sepulveda Street at Marshall Court.

Calling the process “long but ultimately satisfying,” steering committee chair Robert Fenton said it was “pretty amazing to watch different groups with different perspectives come to consensus on what we were going to do.”

Steering committee members were Bobby Canosa-Carr, Leslie Carbajal, Sue Castillo, Rose Gonzalez, James Hadley, Dolores Kollmer, Robyn Lamoreux, Mike Markulis, Matthew Newell, Frank O’Brien, Noel Park, David Rivera, Graham Robertson, Rachel Viramontes and Sue Vittorio.

Contractors have set up a trailer on-site and will be working regularly to complete the development.

The Daily Breeze previewed the groundbreaking in a story Wednesday.

Walking on the Pretty Side of North Gaffey Street




Community members and city officials cut the ribbon then strolled the pavement last Saturday along the new pedestrian walkway on North Gaffey Street. In this first phase of the port-funded beautification project, a half-mile stretch of the thoroughfare between Gatun Street and Westmont Drive has been developed into a parkway with a winding path for pedestrians and bicyclists, benches, picnic tables, sun shelters, drinking fountains and lighting.

When the beautification project is completed, it will extend nearly a mile from Channel Street and Pacific Avenue up to North Gaffey Street and Westmont Drive.

It was developed by the port with funds from the settlement of the China Shipping environmental lawsuit. The idea originated with civic activists Pat and Diana Nave, who partnered with the port, the Northwest San Pedro Neighborhood Council, local homeowners groups and Chevron – which owns a section of the land – to bring the project to fruition.

“This project shows what can be accomplished when the port and neighborhood councils work together,” said Diana Nave, a member and past president of the Northwest council.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

No big deal to me but I thought I should say that they also destroyed what other residents thought as beauty- like democrats and republicans in Congress tend to destroy each others ways of giving money or services to the poor.