The Palms NC met with a group of Woodbine Park stakeholders and leaders on MondayAugust 15 to discuss Woodbine park improvements. The meeting focused on themes, amenities and a process to accomplish the improvements. This meeting was perhaps the largest coordinated gathering that we have had to date on this topic, and was a kick-off of sorts. Click here for the meeting agenda and minutes.
In short, the meeting was very productive. Take aways are the landscape architect is preparing three renderings of options for the park. These will be ready for a first review in a week. Final copies will be ready a week or two later. Read on to find out more about what the options will include. Click here for a current site plan of Woodbine Park.
When the renderings are final, the Palms NC, with the help of Rec and Parks and the Councilmember Koretz’s office will sponsor up to 3 information sessions in the park to get more feedback. The renderings will be instrumental in focusing stakeholders on possibilities that are within reach.
The attendees of the meeting were Darryl Ford from LA Rec and Parks, David Giron (david.giron@lacity.org) from Councilmember Koretz’s office, Sam Kim from SQLA, A landscape architecture firm, Shahab Ghods from Plus Architects, and two neighbors, Maureen and Jerry, and Neal Anderberg (neal@palmsla.org) and Niall MacMenamin (vicepresident@palmsla.org) from the Palms NC. All participants were vocal about their goals and preferences, and also about the process to accomplish the improvements.
Participants discussed the PNC and neighborhood residents’ vision for the park. We agree that a theme centered on the “Historic Palms Depot” would showcase our history and our future. Palms had one of the first train stops along the train line that ran from downtown LA to the Pacific Ocean. The structure at the stop is preserved in a historical museum in Pasadena. With the new Expo line coming in the next few years, this is even more relevant than ever. Charles is preparing a short history of the Palms Depot for the NC, architects and stakeholders to understand the history a bit better. We also discussed the importance of bicycles in Palms – Bike Rodeo, Palms Cycle, large number of bikers generally. We would like to incorporate biking as a secondary theme.
Click this image to view the responses chart in full size
In addition to the theme, we also discussed amenities that we would like the park to feature. We had collected feedback on our amenities (e.g., basketball, lighting, playground, benches, etc) during several meetings and many surveys that our residents carried out. We provided the landscape architect with survey results in the form of charts and tables from approximately 50 responses – click here to view the responses.
The neighborhood is very interested in seeing new basketball courts with improved surface and hoops, better lighting, a better playground, swings, better benches, new drinking fountains and a host of other improvements.
The meeting confirmed that the Palms NC has the support of the LA city resources, including Rec and Parks and Councilmember Koretz. Together we will work on a budget with funding sources. We will also prepare community meetings, which are a key input in the project.
If you or anyone you know would like to get involved, this is a great time to do so. We’re about to ramp up the community meetings and your input is vital. Please contact PNC Vice President Niall MacMenamin at vicepresident@palmsla.org or (310) 429-4733 with your ideas and questions.
