Parks

As seen from Long Beach City Hall, all that remains of the frontier is 200 acres of oil fields and a federally protected wetlands. But if Los Angeles County and state officials consent, that land could soon become part of the city. And so could its planned development into 700 homes and offices, as well as a 100-acre wildlife park. At the direction of the City Council, Long Beach officials are working to annex an hourglass-shaped piece of unincorporated territory southeast of the city limits.

Lauren Mikols and her friends in the Estates at Seacliff development would like a park nearby, with a grassy athletic field, a basketball court and a playground with swings. "Now, kids play in the street," said Lauren, 14. "We really need a park because we don't have a place to play."

Sighting life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness--which in this case is the freedom to skateboard--a group of youths has formally complained to Hermosa Beach city officials that there is not enough space in the city for land surfers. At last week's City Council meeting, a group of about 10 skateboarders challenged officials to build a skateboard park. The youths said the city built a park for roller hockey and they want a park of their own.

Despite neighborhood opposition to adding a basketball court at Costeau Park, the City Council has included the facility as part of a package of park improvements. Some residents and Councilwoman Melody Carruth expressed concerns that a court would draw crowds from outside the neighborhood and create noise problems. "This park was designed for the neighborhood," Carruth said. "It doesn't have the parking and other infrastructure for large groups of people."

The park under construction near New River and Esperanza roads has been formally named: Eastside Community Park. The City Council selected the name from five suggested by the city's Parks and Recreation Commission. Proposals not chosen were Grande Vista Park, Hidden Hills Park, Jean Woodard Park and Sueno Vista Park. Eastside Community Park is "geographically appropriate" for the location, Councilman Dan Welch said.

Westlake Village officials are considering the renovation of two city parks to bring them into compliance with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. The project would cost $180,000, City Manager Ray Taylor said. Of that, he said, $114,000 would come from park bond monies, and the remainder from the city's general fund. The City Council is scheduled to vote at 7:30 tonight on whether to approve the plan and open the public bidding process.

Health risks and the cost of hauling away tons of contaminated soil have all but killed hopes of converting a former dump site in Santa Fe Springs into a park, city officials said. Instead, oil companies that dumped toxic waste at the 43-acre site for more than a decade beginning in the 1950s are looking at topping the area with clay and concrete to make way for a possible outdoor storage facility, a plan suggested by the Environmental Protection Agency.

A new Long Beach park proposed for the area near Marine Stadium won't be built until next year, but already there's a request to change the name. The Marine Advisory Commission asked that Fieldstone Park be renamed Dunster Memorial Park in honor of Jack Dunster, a Marine Advisory commissioner who died a year ago. Dunster was instrumental in getting the natural habitat park approved and hammered out differences between the city and residents.

New Mayor Douglas Yarrow vowed to work with the community to provide a large, sports-friendly park for residents, an issue that has come to the fore recently as a much-needed amenity in Westlake Village. "The biggest challenge the council and the city face is the true need for an active park for recreational sports," he said Thursday. "The [original] city planners ignored one thing: active sports parks. The city is really in need of that."

Seeking to boost the reach and revenues of its Cultural Arts Center, the Torrance City Council has approved a plan to reorganize the Department of Parks and Recreation. The city plans to create a new cultural arts division within the Department of Parks and Recreation, which operates the Cultural Arts Center. In addition, an arts administrator will be hired to oversee the division. The reorganization is expected to help the department increase the number of classes offered at the center.