For more than a year, the playground area at Kagel Canyon Park in Lake View Terrace was fenced off. The park’s play equipment was old, broken and damaged and deemed unsafe.
Residents complained for the past year about the neglected playground.
It was frustrating for the many young families that used the park and even more precarious, some children could be seen getting through the fencing and climbing onto the broken equipment.
Local families can now look forward to going to the park after learning that a groundbreaking ceremony was held on June 22 and city officials announced that a renovated playground is expected to be installed this month.
This new playground, estimated to cost $418,000, will have new play equipment, rubber surfacing and shade.
The old playground has been removed from the park. Although there is no exact date for when the new equipment will be installed, Rose Watson, public information director for the city of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, said it’s estimated to be done by the end of July.
Councilmember Monica Rodriguez noted that this project “was a long time coming,” acknowledging the long wait local families experienced.
Watson said the yearlong wait was due to a lack of funding, securing the required approvals and putting the project out to bid.
But now she said, not only the playground, but the sand area it rested on has been removed to make way for the new equipment.
“We’re excited to be able to put a new playground in there and just upgrade some of the surfaces around it,” Watson said. “They’re going to add a hydration station and new concrete, so it’s gonna look really nice.”
“Every neighborhood needs to have access to quality park space,” Rodriguez said. “Our parks are the center of our communities, and it’s a place for so many families to be able to recreate, to exercise and for kids to make really wonderful, joyful memories.”