Pacific Park

CITY HALL — The City Council on Tuesday held off on giving design approval for the planned public pool slated at Pacific Park after some council members expressed reservations about the size of the deck building. While the pool’s six-lane, L-shaped design won praise on the dais, some council members said they were concerned the design of the associated building was extravagant and not cost effective — especially at a time of deep citywide budget cuts. “My first take on this in terms of the actual building is that it is way, way too much,” said Mayor Frank Quintero.

Activity filled the Pacific Park gym Saturday morning as local youth and Glendale police officers joined together in friendly games of basketball. The games were the brainchild of Glendale Police Officer Jeff Davis, of the department’s special enforcement detail, who had met many of the teenagers who regularly hang out at the park during his routine patrols. “I think he was tired of arresting kids for marijuana and other minor violations,” said Sgt. Todd Anderson.

Buck Wargo GLENDALE -- More than 3,000 people are expected at Pacific Park on Sunday for the return of Fiesta Latina. This is the third year in a row for the event, which was held annually from 1978 until 1991 before being resurrected in 1998. Entry to the festival that includes Armenian and Latino music is free. There is a charge for the food and drink. "It is important to have events like this," said Carlos Reyes, coordinator of the Glendale Community Center, a sponsor of the event.

SOUTH GLENDALE — City officials and residents on Thursday heralded the groundbreaking of the long-awaited $5.3-million public pool at Pacific Park, which is slated to open by summer. The ceremony came roughly six years after Mayor Ara Najarian began publicly lobbying for a replacement for the city's only public municipal pool, which was demolished in 2003 to make way for the joint city project with Glendale Unified at Edison Elementary School. "Can you guess I'm excited about this pool?"

SOUTHWEST GLENDALE ? With Jack Porras in a zone on the mound, everything seemed to click for the 9- and 10-year-old Foothill All-Star Baseball squad. Porras, a right-hander, had a vast array of pitches to confuse Tujunga. He struck out 12 and delivered a key two-run double in the third inning to help Foothill breeze to an 8-0 victory against Tujunga on Tuesday night in a Tri-Cities Little League District 16 All-Star Tournament contest at Pacific Park. Foothill, which opened the tournament Monday night with a lopsided 16-4 win against Jewel City/Jewish War Veterans at Pacific Park, will next face Crescenta Valley or Burbank in a winner?

The late civil rights leader Cesar Chavez will be honored Thursday at a city commemoration ceremony. City officials will formally name the entrance to the Pacific Park Community Center and Branch Library as "La Plaza de la Cesar Chavez" with the unveiling of a speical plaque. "The name of this plaza will permanently honor Chavez' commitment to improve the lives of all people," city spokeswoman Zizette Ayad said. The event is at 3:30 p.m. at Edison Elementary School's new Pacific Park ball diamond.

TODAY MINOR SOFTBALL ?Foothill Two Guys vs. Crescenta Valley Mariners in championship game of District 16 Knock-Out Tournament at Scholl Canyon Ballfields, 5 p.m. ? MAJOR SOFTBALL ?Crescenta Valley Red Hots vs. Burbank Legends in championship game of District 16 Tournament of Champions at Scholl Canyon Ballfields, 7:30 p.m. ? MAJOR BASEBALL ?Vaquero Cougars vs. Crescenta Valley Gangi Builders in District 16 Tournament of Champions at Babe Herman Field, 5 p.m. ?

Jenna Bordelon PACIFIC PARK -- For a day devoted to family unity and fun in the sun, "Fiesta Latina," fits the bill. Sponsored by the Glendale Community Center, the Chamber of Commerce and Catholic Charities among many others, the festival will be held from noon to 6 p.m. May 7 at Pacific Park, 501 S. Pacific Ave. Fiesta-goers can enjoy food, music and dance, as well as booths sponsored by local businesses such...

Buck Wargo CITY HALL -- The Glendale City Council has given the go-ahead for the the development of construction plans for the Edison-Pacific park and school relocation project. Architect Leidenfrost/Horowitz and Associates are expected to complete the plans in June and start advertising for contractor bids in September. The bid is not expected to be awarded until January and the school, community center and library portion of the project completed until November 2002.

Glendale has raked in $5.4 million in development fees since 2007, more than double the amount the city had made by December last year, officials reported. The revenue is earmarked for curbing the impacts of new developments, and more residents, on parks and libraries. Much of the money - roughly $2.7 million - came in during fiscal year 2011-12. That's up from nearly $1.5 million generated during the prior year. Nearly $1 million of the fees went to improve the Adult Recreation Center and the Pacific Park Aquatic Facility, according to the city.

SOUTHWEST GLENDALE - Andres Rivera isn't afraid to look himself in the mirror. At least twice a week, Rivera will spend some time standing in front of a giant mirror in his room and work on his pitching delivery. It's played a vital role in helping the Vaquero 9-10 Baseball All-Star examine his mechanics. Rivera wasn't too shabby facing live batters in his latest outing, as he struck out 10 and allowed a pair of hits in 4 2/3 innings Thursday afternoon to help Vaquero post a 6-0 District 16 opening-round win against Tujunga at Pacific Park.

As coach of Warren Printing, Mike Vinceri watched his team slug its way to the District 16 Major Baseball Tri-Cities championship in June. As coach of the District 16 Crescenta Valley Major Baseball All-Star Team, he's looking for a similar pattern to continue in July. Some of the players from Warren Printing will be a part of Crescenta Valley's squad, leaving Vinceri eager to see if the offense will continue its torrid hitting. "It will be interesting seeing if the bats do come alive again, but you are also now facing tougher competition," said Vinceri, whose team will look to repeat as tournament champion.

After strengthening a ban on artificial turf in residential front yards last year, the Glendale City Council this week approved spending roughly $99,000 for a consultant to prepare plans to install the fake stuff at Pacific Park. Council members extolled the move before unanimously approving the decision. “That overused soccer field, I've seen it turn from beautiful green to mud and dirt,” said Mayor Frank Quintero. “Once this is done, that artificial turf is going to last for such a long time.” The contract with David Volz Design Landscape Architects Inc. is a preliminary expense.

About three years after the city sued a contractor who got about $21 million to build a library, gym and other buildings at Pacific Park, the case has started to thaw in the court system after several subcontractors agreed to settle. Five out of dozens of subcontractors involved in what the city and Glendale Unified School District claim was shoddy construction have agreed to settle for $105,000. The payment is just a drop in the bucket compared to the nearly $6.4 million the city wants as compensation for a blistered and buckling gym floor, leaks at the library and other construction-related issues at the Pacific Park site built by Fedcon General Contractors nearly a decade ago, according to court records.

The first community pool run by the city since 2000 has proven to be more of a moneymaker than originally expected, officials reported Tuesday. The Pacific Community Pool generated roughly $88,000 in revenue this summer, about 27% more than estimates predicted, according to a city report to the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission. But despite the better than expected performance, the extra money still doesn't cover all the facility's costs, which are budgeted at $259,600.

One of the hottest summer attractions in Glendale hasn't been a nightclub or a Caruso Affiliated-financed development. The Pacific Community Park Pool, which opened on June 4, is attracting as many as 1,000 people a day, including up to 450 recreational swimmers and 550 aquatics-program participants, city officials reported this week. The pool's capacity at any given time is 243 people. “I am absolutely astounded at the number of young kids, adults and seniors that are in the pool all day,” said City Councilman Ara Najarian, who played a critical role in pushing through the development of the pool.

Residents near Columbus Elementary this week said that the densely populated neighborhood cannot support a new $3.5-million soccer field currently being considered for the school site. “We think it is an excellent project, we just don’t think it is an excellent place for it,” said neighbor Cooper Coleman. Three years ago, the Glendale Unified School District proposed building the field along the southern perimeter of the campus at 425 West Milford St. It would serve as a joint-use facility for the district and city-supported recreational activities, such as AYSO soccer, although the city would cover the costs of construction, city planners said.

GLENDALE — After years of planning and anticipation, several upgraded park facilities are set to open in coming weeks — just in time for summer. Residents already have access to a new and improved Maple Park, which received $3.5 million in renovations including new landscaping and an overhaul to the community building. The new building includes a modernized second-floor gym and a nearly 5,400-square-foot addition to make way for larger rooms and a computer lab. Also in south Glendale — where city officials have long bemoaned the lack of available green space — the long-awaited $5.3-million public Pacific Park pool is on schedule to open June 4. And near the city’s northwest border, a revamped version of Griffith Manor Park is set to open June 25 after being closed to the public for more than two years during the upgrades and other construction in the city’s San Fernando Road corridor.

The long-awaited $5.3-million public pool at Pacific Park is on track for its scheduled June 4 opening — more than six years after City Councilman Ara Najarian began lobbying hard for a replacement for the city's only public municipal pool. Crews from Glendale-based Hopkins Construction, which also built the new Adult Recreation Center, have been working around the clock to get the pool open in time for summer, officials said. The pool was filled with water last week, while crews work on final construction details.