Ryan Carter
From a distance, the colorful slides, swings and rides in the two
playgrounds at Crescenta Valley Park seem welcoming for the loads of
youngsters who play on them. But county inspectors say the play land
ans its equipment have problems.
A recent county inspection at Crescenta Valley Park revealed
excessive wear on swing chain links and deficient barriers between a
playground and the parking lot. It also found worn and splintering
picnic tables with protruding bolts, swings that were too close
together and insufficient space between a slide and concrete ramp.
Two Strike Park in La Crescenta reportedly had similar problems,
including a lack of barrier fencing.
"Our reaction was that it is imperative that our county
playgrounds are safe and that children can use them without fear of
dangerous conditions," said Tony Bell, a spokesman for Los Angeles
County Supervisor Mike Antonovich. "The parks department has assured
our office that they are working aggressively to remove any hazardous
situation."
The two parks' playgrounds join 155 others around the county that
did not meet state standards, said Sheila Ortega, a spokeswoman for
the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation.
Clair Rawlins, vice president of the Crescenta Valley Town
Council, was worried about the report on the park.
"If it's dangerous and going to hurt our children, it's a
concern," he said, adding he had not heard of any recent claims or
lawsuits from families of injured children.
Ortega said no claims had been filed in La Crescenta in the past
five years. The area's problems were not deemed as serious as in
other regions in Antonovich's district. Last week, he secured
$500,000 in park-bond funding for equipment replacement in areas
including Castaic and Altadena. Improvements in La Crescenta should
be com- pleted by June, Ortega said.
