MacArthur Park Has Reopened After A Four Month Closure

After being closed for four months, MacArthur Park's lakeside portion has reopened.

The park was fenced off in mid-October for repairs, a closure that was supposed to last 10 weeks. In January, Councilmember Gil Cedillo's office said the delay in reopening was because of workforce impacts, supply chain disruptions and heavy rainfall in December.

The upgrades have ended up costing $1.5 million and include new trees, shrubs and lights, asphalt walkways and sprinkler systems.

Cedillo says the park will have activities that will make it a more welcoming place for the surrounding community.

"People [experiencing homelessness] are unlikely to set up encampments when people are there utilizing the park, and so we have a whole series of activities for that."

The councilmember says park rangers and the "occasional LAPD" officers will maintain a presence. But he adds that the primary strategic response will be "the activation of the park by the community and for the community."

"My sense is that we're going to have the service workers there around the clock ... we will have people that are available at all times so that they can assist people [to] seek other shelter," he said.

He says that outreach workers offered shelter to 326 unhoused people living there before closing the park.