(Image: A 2013 file photo shows Little League players from Lennox running sprints during practice at Jim Thorpe park in Hawthorne.)
When I was growing up in Hawthorne, there was a spot along the 105 Freeway we called “the dirt field.” The freeway cut off access to the few parks we had in our neighborhood, so my friends and I just hung out in the dirt field — nothing more than a tiny dirt vacant lot. It was our ballfield, our playground and our place to just be kids. I cherish the memories of this “pretend park.”
In the years since, I have formed a non-profit, From Lot to Spot, to help create access for the thousands of residents cut off from green, leafy parks, community gardens, bike paths and all types of greenspaces.
Neighborhood parks bring a sense of serenity and calm to our otherwise hectic lives. They’re places where families come together to catch up and relax, a chance to get away from the steel and cement and enjoy the sights and sounds of nature.
When the original Proposition A passed in 1992, it created the first-ever dedicated local funding source for the improvement and growth of parks in Los Angeles County. This funding has been distributed to our cities, park and nonprofit agencies, which in the ensuing years spent millions of dollars on more than 1,600 park projects.
Unfortunately, a second and final round of Prop. A funding, passed in 1996, is now expiring at a time when our needs have never been greater. With the population of L.A. expected to continue its rapid growth, neighborhoods like Hawthorne remain park-poor and desperately in need of parks within walking distance of schools and homes. Many of our existing parks need of improvements and upgrades. If we want to create a Los Angeles where everyone thrives and not just survives, our neighborhoods must have access to greenspace. It is a necessity, not a luxury.
With this in mind, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously in 2015 to gather community input and prioritize specific parks projects through a countywide park needs assessment. All 88 cities in the county participated. The report was made public earlier this month and can be found at http://lacountyparkneeds.org/final-report./
For Viviana Franco's entire article, please click here.
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