No money for the San Gabriel River?

It seems every time money gets doled out its for the LA River and not the San Gabriel River. Why is that? Also the money seems to be focused on plants an animals but not much on what bike riders need. Not even safety. The LA River has had millions spent on it after the walls were heightened by the Corps of Engineers a few years back due to FEMA's flooding concerns. Lets spend the money on the lower San Gabriel now.


L.B. gets $5M for new parks
City plans to restore, expand parkland near L.A. River
By Jennifer Hall, Staff writer
Article Launched: 07/12/2007 09:34:53 PM PDT

Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster presents Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe with what the mayor jokingly called a $5 million T-shirt at Cesar Chavez Park after the supervisor gave Foster a check for the same amount to be used to improve Long Beach parks. (Steven Georges / Press-Telegram)

LONG BEACH - Visions for more parks and open spaces in Long Beach moved closer to reality Thursday when the county of Los Angeles gave the city $5 million for projects along the Los Angeles River.

"Today we're going to launch a program that is going to preserve and restore wetlands and park lands for generations to come," Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster said. "It will be something that you and your grandchildren can enjoy."

The money will go toward four separate sections that are part of the Long Beach RiverLink project. Of the money announced Thursday, $1 million will be for a greenbelt connecting Drake and Chavez parks, $2.5 million will go to the development of the DeForest Wetlands, $1 million will be put toward the Wrigley Greenbelt between Willow and 34th Streets and $500,000 will be used for the Baker Mini-Park in the Wrigley Heights area.

"This allows us additional parks, more green spaces and I think it goes with all of our visions working together," Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe said. "They have a great vision down here of not only rebuilding and revitalizing but also to improve the quality of life."

The Drake/Chavez Greenbelt will consist of 16 acres of recently acquired land and an additional 0.78 acres that the county money will help purchase. The new land will form a 46-acre greenway and parkland area on the east bank of the Los Angeles River including 23-acre Chavez Park and 6-acre Drake Park. It will include wetlands, trails, open space and a wildlife habitat.

"The areas along the rivers in general are not restored, they wind up being areas where people start dumping stuff," Foster said.

The Drake/Chavez greenbelt will link downtown Long Beach with the Los Angeles River bike trail. Purchase of the land was funded by the city of Long Beach and Los Angeles County using funds from Proposition 13 and Proposition A, as well as city redevelopment money.

A master plan for the greenbelt will be completed by the end of the year at which point the city will attempt to obtain money from Proposition 84 to complete the project.

"You take land that's in pretty bad shape and you convert it back to its natural state," Foster said. "You'll be able to walk through and enjoy things as they were decades and centuries ago."

The area where the greenbelt will be built had the least amount of parks in Long Beach.

"I'm very excited about what this park land will mean to the community in the future in terms of recreation and picnicking and family events," City Councilwoman Bonnie Lowenthal said.

Lowenthal, who represents the 1st District that includes both Chavez and Drake parks, wants to see an education center and more soccer fields built at the site.

"The most important thing is you take the blighted areas and you rejuvenate and regenerate and rebuild and you really improve the quality of life," Knabe said.

The DeForest Wetlands, part of the Los Angeles County lower Los Angeles River parkway plan, will run along the river next to the 710 Freeway. It will include the re-creation of 34 acres of historic wetlands, scrub and woodland habitat, recreational areas and improvements in water quality and flood control.

An additional $3 million is required to complete the $5.5 million project. The city has applied for a grant to reach that amount, said Phil Hester, director for Long Beach Parks and Recreation Department.

The Wrigley Greenbelt will cover 8 acres between Willow and 34th Streets that will include native plants, a multipurpose trail and a rest area along the Los Angeles River bike trail.

The Baker Mini-Park will be a 1.34-acre neighborhood park in the Wrigley Heights area near the Los Angeles River and San Diego (405) Freeway that will include additional irrigation, playground equipment and picnic tables.

Construction on the projects won't start for two years after design and departmental reviews are completed and the correct permits have been obtained, said Dennis Eschen, manager of planning and development for the Long Beach Parks and Recreation Department.

However, the purchase of the remaining land needed for the Drake/Chavez Greenbelt project will begin immediately.

Potential realignment of the 710 Freeway may change the design plans for the greenbelt and the elimination of Shoreline Drive North could connect Chavez Park with the piece of land between the north and south parts of Shoreline Drive.

The Long Beach Open Space and Recreation Element, approved in October 2002, aims to provide 8 acres of recreational open space per 1,000 residents in Long Beach. To reach that goal, 1,100 acres need to be added to the city's existing 2,855 acres. Currently, there are 5.4 acres per 1,000 residents.

The RiverLink plans will add 217 acres of open space to the Long Beach River area bringing the total to 263 acres.

City officials are seeking new grant funding from Proposition 84, the Rivers and Mountains Conservancy and other state and federal agencies, as well as private sector support to complete the projects.


Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA
A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™