Nogales Park opened its doors to the public in the unincorporated community of Walnut Park in Southeast Los Angeles and government officials and dozens of people from the community celebrated the new recreation center.
The 0.7-acre park has several facilities such as a grass area, performance stage, two playgrounds, a splash zone and several picnic spaces.
Construction cost $9.4 million dollars.
Walnut Park has a population of nearly 16,000 people and is one of the ten most densely populated communities in Los Angeles County.
This will be the first official green space in the community and was the only vacant property that could be used as a park.
During the inauguration, Janice Hahn, Los Angeles County Supervisor of District 4, said that this space is not only for fun, but is considered a very important resource in that community.
“When it rains, if it ever rains, we can capture the water under this park, store it and be able to provide enough water for 150 homes here in Walnut Park,” the supervisor explained.
Norma Edith García-González, director of the Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation Department and Los Angeles County Regional Parks and Open Space District (RPOSD), explained that she had been fighting for several years to create a recreational area on this site.
“We tried to acquire the parcel from three different owners who refused to sell this vacant land to the county and we kept saying the community needed a park,” García-González said. “We finally got a call and I think we got that call because we kept pushing for ten years.”
After school program
García-González says she is excited to be able to offer a free after-school program for children at Parque Nogales.
They will have Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEAM) activities, art and culture activities and sports programming.
The programming will be free to ensure children have a safe place to go after school while their parents are at work.
García-González added that Nogales Park will forever be a place of joy and currently, with so many things happening in the world, he says that it is necessary to fill our cups with joy, play and laughter and in Walnut Park this is the place to do it.
“As residents, as parent leaders of the Walnut Park community, we feel very happy, content, proud that we started working more than 20 years ago, but finally we see the fruit of what we do and we want to thank everyone. the community and the entire government that made this beautiful park and the community possible.”
Richard Valodovinos, a Walnut Park resident, told his daughter, Victoria Valdovinos, that she was one of the first people to enjoy Nogales Park.
Valdovinos explained that previously the park that was closest to them was too far to walk their daughter and now the new park is two blocks from their house.
After watching her daughter enjoy climbing the obstacles on the playground, Valdovinos said she hopes to return often.
Salvador Diaz, a resident and community organizer in Walnut Park, explained that the community had been without a local park for 109 years so opening day was a great achievement for everyone.
“Finally we see the fruit of what we do and we want to thank the entire community and the entire government that made this beautiful park and the Walnut Park community possible,” said Salvador Diaz.
Norma Diaz, another community organizer in Walnut Park, mentioned that after several years of fighting for a new park, the most important thing is for the community to be united.
“We have to be patient because we know that it is a process, so we have to keep fighting, keep uniting, keep raising our voices and asking for what the community needs and that is how our communities are going to improve,” explained Norma Diaz.
She also added that, although the new park is now open, it is important that the community take care of the playground, the facilities and keep the site clean.