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At park burned by Eaton Fire, volunteers kick off restoration while others question safety and priorities
Volunteers at Loma Alta Park in Altadena take a group photo before they go to their assigned tasks in the restoration process.
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Dañiel Martinez
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Loma Alta Park in Altadena had been a beloved public community resource since 1954 until the Eaton Fire devastated neighborhoods and cut off public access to the park.
While still closed for play and recreation, work at the park is now underway for a scheduled May 17 reopening.
To make that deadline, L.A. County parks officials have recruited more than 2,000 people from across the region to help put finishing touches in place. About 500 people have signed up to show up each Saturday until the reopening.
Norma Edith García-Gonzalez, county parks director, was on site this Saturday to break ground on the effort. She said she's happy to see Angelenos who live outside Altadena show up to pitch in. The good news, she said, is that a lot of work has already been done to get to this step.
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“We’re not cleaning this park. The park has been thoroughly cleaned and vacuumed of ash,” she said. “This is about adding a touch of love from Los Angeles County residents to Altadena.”
Director of L.A. County Parks Norma Edith García-González speaks with volunteers at Loma Alta park on the first day of a month-long restoration process.
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How safe is the park?
For many Altadenans, though, questions about safety remain top of mind. Comments on a March 10 Facebook post by L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger calling for volunteers prompted mixed reactions.
Anita Ghazarian commented: “Isn’t this premature? Have you done soil testing to see if it’s safe for kids?”
Aaron Lewis saw it differently, posting: “I don’t know why so many are put out by any progress towards restoring Altadena. This is not asking for fire victims to volunteer. It is asking volunteers to help fire victims.”
García-Gonzalez said when it comes to the soil, the government did its due diligence,
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“We went above and beyond and hired a certified contractor to vacuum the lawns of Loma Alta," she said. "We also did soil testing and the results were good."
She said county health officials will hold a virtual town hall on April 10 to share the results of Altadena soil testing. County officials have also been posting results on a post-fire county webpage.
In addition to questions about soil safety, many commenters asked why county officials are focused on park restoration while residents continue to struggle.
Volunteers came from across L.A.
Most of the volunteers who showed up Saturday morning were not from the immediate area. Tony Henderson lives in Long Beach and came to the event with the Hope in Christ Community Church of Compton.
“It’s a horrible situation, but we are here to help uplift the city,” Henderson said. “So we are here doing our part and just bringing unity to this community.”
Henderson held a cup full of neon green paint, as he helped to fill in one of the many murals that have been sketched out around the park. The brick wall his group is working on is filled with images of flowers and green leaves.
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Members of the Hope in Christ Community Church of Compton help paint a new mural on a brick wall at Loma Alta Park in Altadena on Saturday, April 5.
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Dañiel Martinez
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LAist
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Volunteers hard at work coloring in murals sketched for them at the Loma Alta Park restoration on Saturday, April 5.
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Dañiel Martinez
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LAist
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A theme of renewal could be felt around the park as people worked. At one of the entrances North Hollywood artist Katie Sunderalingam began tackling a sprawling mural of flourishing ferns in its early stages, one of the works commissioned for the restoration.
The concept art for a mural at Loma Alta park designed by Katie Sunderalingam. It depicts a green fern flourishing on the ground.
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Dañiel Martinez
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LAist
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The concept comes to life at Loma Alta Park.
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Dañiel Martinez
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LAist
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“Ferns kind of popup anywhere, they’re pretty resilient plants,” Sunderalingam said, “So I wanted to represent resilience and regrowth.”
For Sunderalingam the project is personal even though she isn’t from Altadena,
“My closest friends live in the area and have been affected by what happened,” she said. “So it feels really special to be able to do something.”
Katie Sunderalingam and a helper work on her mural for Loma Alta Park in Altadena.
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Dañiel Martinez
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Kyle Berzle lives in neighboring Pasadena, “right on the cusp of Altadena,” he was in the dirt installing new native plants where many of the shrubs had burned off in the fires. He said he has a history with Loma Alta.
“The park was definitely our safe space, our outdoor zone,” he said. “We use the pool in the summers. Just a great place to come out, be around the community.”
Pasadena resident Kyle Berzle digs up dirt for new native species of plants to be put in the ground at Loma Alta Park in Altadena.
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Dañiel Martinez
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LAist
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Nina Dinh of Duarte works on landscaping the parking lot at Loma Alta Park for its restoration on Saturday, April 5.
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Dañiel Martinez
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LAist
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Plans for a "super park"
When Loma Alta reopens it is supposed to become a “super park” according to a news release issued by L.A. County Parks. Money from fire aid is helping to rebuild and expand playgrounds, and there will be added services including a satellite senior center and Altadena Library, childcare services, and a teen center. Officials say the goal is to not only bring it back to what it once was, but to make it better for residents.
Victoria Knapp chairs Altadena’s town council and showed up Saturday to represent her community. She says restoring Loma Alta is one step in the direction of healing for Altadena — especially for the many people who remain displaced by the fire.
“I think that once we get this park reopened," Knapp said, "it will give the community a sense of a place where they can come to commune with each other, because we are all so far away from Altadena.”
How to participate
Volunteers from across Los Angeles will be out from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. helping to rejuvenate Loma Alta park every Saturday in April.
Location: 3330 N Lincoln Ave, Altadena, CA 91001
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