Nearby residents and business owners applauded the proposed park design, which includes a basketball court, a children’s water play area, and new seating and picnic areas that Joanne Hedge, president of the Glendale Rancho Homeowners Assn., called an “oasis of green and softness in the middle of a vast industrial corridor.”
The council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the renovation plan.
The park will also get additional fencing that can be locked up at night to discourage the kind of gang and criminal elements that have plagued the parcel in recent years, city officials said.
The new basketball court should also cut down on gang activity just by offering teens a recreational option, residents said.
“We don’t want more gang members . . . that’s why it’s better to keep [teenagers] busy,” neighborhood resident Vilma Vera told the council.
Despite a predesignated $3.1-million budget, plans for the project are still too preliminary to estimate a cost, according to the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department.
In a report to the City Council on Tuesday, parks officials said that “in no case will the project costs exceed what is currently budgeted” in the final park design, especially given the current competitive bidding environment.
The funding is also protected somewhat from the budget mending at City Hall since it was generated through the Redevelopment Agency, which means the money cannot be transferred to cover any gaps in the general fund.
A price tag will likely emerge quickly, with the project timeline heading toward a construction date of some time this fall.
