Park Advisory Board to Meet: Agenda Includes Tennis Courts

In the foreground are tennis courts 5 & 6, which need to be repaired. At the bottom or the walkway are courts 7 & 8, which the City wants to take out of service by putting a building on the courts.

The Palisades Park Advisory Board will meet tomorrow, Tuesday, September 30 at 6:30 p.m. via zoom. On the agenda is Recreation and Parks (RAP) General Manager Jimmy Kim, who will give Right of Entry updates, repair of tennis courts 5 & 6 by the Department of Water and Power (DWP), ground and soil testing update, a temporary library and a playground update.

The Board has also asked Kim for an update on Quimby Funds and the status of electrical and water service to the Field of Dreams (little league baseball fields).

Immediately after the fire, DWP moved into the small gym at the Palisades Recreation Center and used it as a temporary facility. DWP stored heavy equipment on Tennis Courts 5 & 6, destroying the surface and the fencing. Residents were told that DWP would restore the courts when they moved out at the end of June.

Palisades High School girls (and boys) tennis teams play on Courts 5 & 6 and also use Courts 7 & 8. When school started there was no place for the girls teams to practice or have matches because DWP had not repaired the courts. In the spring, the boys will need the courts.

This editor ran a statement in musings on September 21, asking when DWP would repair the courts and received the following response from Christy Holland RAP Communications and Community Affairs Division on September 22.

“I see in yesterday’s issue that you mentioned repairs to tennis courts 5 and 6 so I wanted to set the record straight and let you know that Recreation and Parks is handling the repairs to these two courts,” Holland wrote and suggested I reach out to Public Information Officer Rose Watson for my additional questions about the change and a timeline.

At the last PAB meeting, residents were told a temporary Rec Center/Library portable building would be placed on tennis courts 7 & 8.

This editor asked Watkins about the repairs and taking away Tennis Courts 7 & 8, because  at the August 28  Park Advisory Meeting (with about 70 people attending) attendees said all courts were needed and suggested the maintenance yard as a possible site for a temporary building.

Watkins replied “The priority for the City and RAP is to restore the recreation center, park, library, and all associated amenities for the community as quickly as possible. To bring essential services like the library and recreation center back online, we need to ensure there is appropriate space to do so.

“The area near the bocce courts is not a feasible option due to reimaging of the park and the construction work that we expect to be occurring at the park and the library,” Watkins said.

“While we understand and appreciate the demand for tennis courts, we must make the best decision that balances the needs of all users until the park renovation is fully complete,” Watkins said.

Public comment will be taken on agenda matters and also on other matters. Public comment is limited to two minutes per person.

Meeting URL: click here and meeting ID: 898 1004 4848

Mobile phone: 213-338-8477 or 346-248-7799.

Agenda can be found at https://www.laparks.org/info/volunteer/pab-agendas/2020.

(Editor’s note: it is too bad there is no vacant space in the Palisades, no empty lots that a portable building can be placed on for the next two years while the Rec Center and the Library are being built.  Or longer. There is still no architect or funding in place for the library. Residents have still not seen the “revisioning plan” for the Rec Center, which was initially promised in September, and still has yet to be presented. The courts so desperately needed by high school students could be taken out of service for years.

One resident wrote CTN that the building was necessary on the tennis courts because “This space must be more than just a local outlet for book pick-up, it must provide a respite for our neighbors who have already returned as well as a hub for broader community connection, information and programming.” If construction starts at the library and Rec Center, it might not be a great respite. There are numerous spaces that could be used and are being used for community meetings including the American Legion and the Woman’s Club.)