LOMA ALTA PARK REOPENED MAY 17

AMTV, LOS ANGELES, May 17 – The County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation (LA County Parks), with the generous support of philanthropic and community partners, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, and multiple Los Angeles County Departments, are proud to announce the completion of the rejuvenation efforts at Loma Alta Park after the Eaton Fire. Touted as a “super park”, Loma Alta Park will feature newly refurbished and enhanced park spaces along with expanded services and programming.

“Loma Alta Park is a vital gathering place where our community can come together, especially in times of healing,” said Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger. “After the trauma of the Eaton Fire, having a space to reconnect, rebuild relationships, and support one another is incredibly important. Parks like Loma Alta help restore not only our physical surroundings, but our sense of belonging. Social connection is essential to recovery, and this reopening is a meaningful step forward for Altadena.”

“LA County Parks is grateful for the outpouring of support for Loma Alta Park from many generous partners, Supervisor and Board Chair Kathryn Barger, several County Departments, and LA residents who just wanted to lend a helping hand. We had over 2,000 volunteers from across LA County sign up in April to help their Altadena neighbors by painting murals, planting trees and shrubs, and enhancing the park,” said Norma E. García-González, Director of LA County Parks. “Loma Alta Park was fortunate that none of its buildings burned, which allowed us to move quickly to meet this community need, and now it is ready to better serve Altadena with new and expanded services and facility improvements. The community asked for the park to reopen, and knew we needed to meet the moment. Here we are, as promised, just two months later.”

The following investments were made:
FireAid, the January 30 benefit concert, provided a grant of $2.4 million to help rebuild the two fire-damaged playgrounds as part of their ‘Symbols of Hope’ grants. The two new playgrounds from Landscape Structures, with the impressive 3-story play structure that is completely ADA accessible, are the very first structures of its kind anywhere.

With neighborhoods devastated and families displaced, Altadena needed a meet-up spot to gather with community. Identifying this need for social connections, Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger funded Alta Chat – a new Loma Alta Park meeting place and ‘hub’ for the community to relax and connect. This new space features Adirondack chairs to inspire a much-needed lost neighborhood connection.

The Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation funded two Dodgers. These are the only baseball fields in Altadena, and the first Dodgers Dreamfields in the unincorporated area.

The LA Clippers Foundation, through their Community Clippers Court program, provided funding for a renovation of the gym and its courts, and will offer the Jr. Clippers Basketball Program for Altadena youth.

The LA Clippers Foundation, in conjunction with Pechanga Resort & Casino, provided funding for a new computer lab and tech center, that will provide a Wi-Fi hub for Loma Alta Park and a full suite of computer services for teens and seniors.
Loma Alta Park – the first LA County Park to reopen – will be a “super park” with additional new services:

After Altadena’s senior center burned in the fire, LA County Parks partnered with Los Angeles County Department of Aging and Disabilities to create a satellite senior center at Loma Alta Park.

In partnership with the Altadena Library District, Loma Alta Park will now host a satellite Altadena library with an array of programming for children, families, and seniors.

In partnership with Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Office for Advancement of Early Care and Education (OAECE), LA County Parks will provide 100 after-school slots for children ages 5-12, and in the summertime, the program will run all day. The OAECE will also provide 25 slots for children ages 3-4, a Tiny Tots program. After the Eaton Fire, 2,802 early childhood education licensed spaces were lost, 34 early childhood education licensed facilities destroyed, and 4 facilities damaged. Supporting families and children after the Eaton Fire with childcare continues to be a priority for LA County Parks after the department ran its Care Camp program.

In partnership with Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity (LADOE), LA County Parks will provide 15 Altadena youth employment through the Youth@Work program. LADOE’s funding also helped to hire 20 childcare professionals whose jobs or businesses were displaced by the fire.
In partnership with the Department of Mental Health, clinicians will now be onsite at Loma Alta Park to provide mental health services to those Altadena residents in need.

In partnership with the Department of Public Health, Substance Abuse Prevention Control, a new Our SPOT Teen Center will be open, offering services to teens aged 12-18, daily.
The pool at Loma Alta Park was reglazed and now ready for summer!

The Altadena Rotary Club previously held their annual Altadena summer concert series at Farnsworth Park. With Farnsworth Park’s extensive damage and closure, the concert series is moving to Loma Alta Park.

Thanks to the generous donations from Tree People, the Los Angeles Conservation Corp, and almost a dozen nurseries across the San Gabriel Valley, volunteers were able to help plant 44 trees, 32 tree seedlings, 818 plants, and spread 50,000 square feet of mulch. The volunteers also helped to paint murals across the park, with additional murals being painted by local artists, such as Victor Ving and his team of artists at Greetings Tour, Eric Junker, Ryan Burch, and Katie Chrishanthi Sunderalingam.

To christen the newly revived and expanded park, LA County Parks hosted multiple events throughout the day on May 17, full of free exciting activities including a children’s play date with Bob Baker’ Marionette Theater, a ribbon cutting for the new playground with special guest Mickey and Minnie Mouse, a grand opening ceremony for the Dodgers Dreamfields, Jr. Clippers basketball clinic on new Clippers Court, a picnic with local restaurants for a “Taste of Altadena,” pool and swim activities, and a live concert by The Ledbetter Blues & DJ Blac House.

About the County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation

The County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation manages 182 parks. It also operates a network of 9 regional parks, 38 neighborhood parks, 20 community parks, 16 wildlife sanctuaries, 8 nature centers, 41 public swimming pools, 23 splash pads, 14 lakes including 3 with swimming beaches, more than 240 miles of multi-use trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding, and the largest municipal golf system in the nation, consisting of 20 golf courses at 18 facilities. The department also maintains four botanical centers: The Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, the South Coast Botanic Garden, Descanso Gardens, and Virginia Robinson Gardens. The department also owns the iconic Hollywood Bowl, and the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre, providing County residents with valuable entertainment and cultural resources.