Parks in the fire-torn Altadena community are getting rebuilt and revitalized, some could say better than before, thanks to an infusion of $60 million in public and private funds for the Altadena Park Recovery Plan.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger hosted a Friday news conference for an update … "as every park in Altadena sustained hundreds of millions of dollars in fire damage," from January's Eaton Fire.
As the rebuilding of homes and neighborhoods is underway, Barger said her office and the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation worked diligently to get funds to "rebuild park-by park."
"We are on an accelerated recovery beyond what public funding can do alone," she said.
Loma Alta Park sustained the least amount of fire damage, and the push to get that park rebuilt was the top priority, Barger said, as the community longed for a place to gather and reconnect. It reopened in May, four months after the wildfire, with $2.5 million from FireAid used to restore the two playgrounds.
"Thanks to the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation, we also built two Dodger Dreamfields," Barger said. The LA Clippers Organization aided with refurbished basketball gym floors and a state-of-the-art technology lab, "to provide connection for the community," Barger said.
Altadena Triangle Park in the town square was significantly burned and is now restored with more than 300 plants, thanks to the Los Angeles Conservation Corps. and the Los Angeles County Parks Foundation.
Funding for the complete rebuild of Charles White Park, named after Altadena resident and artist, comes by way of $5.5 million from the State of California and $5 million from the Walt Disney Company.
"One of the most significant gathering spaces in Altadena, Farnsworth Park … I am thrilled to announce today that two of the three phases of Farnsworth Park are fully funded," Barger said. Work is set to begin on the first two phases in 2026, with the Santa Monica Mountain Conservancy contributing $5 million, and $3 million is from the Rivers and Mountains Conservancy. The LADF gave $750,000 for two additional Dodger Dreamfields.
Barger noted the Pasadena Rotary Club gave $250,000 and the Los Angeles Philharmonic gave $150,000 to restore the Farnsworth Amphitheater. The Clippers Foundation provided Clippers Courts, which are already completed.
The Eaton Canyon Natural Center received $16.2 million from the State of California, with added funds from the Regional Park and Open Space District and the River and Mountain Conservancy.
Barger thanked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for their recovery work at the Altadena Golf Course. "It's because of their historic mission in Altadena that the golf course served as an important piece of the puzzle for our debris removal," Barger said. "And now it can be returned to its former glory for our golfers."
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