Plans to Improve Valley Plaza Park Move Forward

The large, sprawling in North Hollywood, like the , has seen better days. Much of the grass in the park is dead, the grounds are pocked with gopher holes and the bridge that leads over the Hollywood (170) Freeway is defaced with graffiti.

However, improvements are coming.

A jogging path is slated to be available for use in July, according to Councilman Paul Krekorian’s office, followed by exercise equipment and solar powered lighting to better illuminate the park at night. The area of the new jogging path and lights, on the east side of the freeway, will be called the Valley Plaza Nature Center. (See the attached PDF for an illustration of the planned improvements.)

These changes are due in part to the determination of Inez Morin, a member of the North Hollywood North East Neighborhood Council. Three years ago, Morin requested an agenda item to be added to the monthly council board meeting: Improvements to Valley Plaza Park south of the pedestrian walkway over the 170 Freeway and east of the freeway.

Morin, who walks her dog in the park, said that she knew something had to be done for the kids and for the residents who use it.

“The park is dry, it’s dilapidated. No one is caring for it,” Morin said. “There’s graffiti on the back wall, graffiti on the walkway.”  

Morin was also concerned with the lighting of the park. She said that about 10 years ago a girl was raped in the park. She said after the incident temporary lights were put in by a private funder, but they were removed later due to maintenance costs.

"They were very moved by the report that they paid for the additional lighting for a year. Then after the year was up, Parks and Recs removed the lighting due to they couldn't or wouldn't pay the additional cost for these lights," Morin said.

The original plans discussed in April 2009 to improve the park included building a walking trail of decomposed granite, putting in exercise equipment for adults, adding benches and installing extra lighting. Now, after three years of pushing by Morin and the NHNENC, some of the improvements are finally coming.

City Controller Wendy Greuel, who was at the time representing District 2 on the City Council, confirmed that a walking track and workout station would be built in the park in May of 2009 and funding for the granite walkway was secured in September of 2009 through Quimby funds, according to NHNENC minutes.

The State Quimby Act allows the city to establish ordinances requiring residential subdivision developers to pay impact fees that can be used to purchase and develop land and/or recreational facilities, such as city parks.

In 2010, a total of $171,298.46 was allocated by Quimby funds for the decomposed granite trail, park signage, solar pedestrian lighting, fitness equipment, and related site amenities.

Krekorian won a special election in December of 2009 to replace Greuel, and in 2010 his office asked the NHNENC to switch money it had allocated to install solar lights at the Valley Plaza Nature Center to the Whitsett Sports Field on the west side of the park so that solar lights could be installed there and night soccer games would be possible at the synthetic grass field. In return, Krekorian's office said it would take care of getting solar lighting installed at the Valley Plaza Nature Center through Quimby funds, according to NHNENC minutes.

After that, Morin said, no immediate update was then given to her on the progress of the solar lighting, and she said the NHNENC still has not been told when the lights will be installed.

Throughout 2011, Morin continued to bring up the solar lighting during the neighborhood council meetings. She also wrote a letter to Krekorian’s office and emailed to check up on the project to make sure that it was still going forward in a timely fashion.

Krekorian acknowledged Morin and the NHNENC efforts in a written statement to North Hollywood-Toluca Lake Patch:

"With a new jogging path, exercise equipment and new solar-powered lighting set to come online soon, we will add a much-needed and beautiful addition to an area that deserves such amenities," Krekorian said. "Together with the —which I helped dedicate last year—and other features, Valley Plaza Park will be a thriving center of activity and a beacon of open space in North Hollywood. That is thanks in large part to the North Hollywood Northeast Neighborhood Council, the Department of Recreation and Parks and the efforts of my office, which has consistently worked with the community on this project."

Sarah Ramsawack, also a member of the NHNENC, said that Morin has a dream for the park.

"She found a sort of remote, old, ridden turf of ground which had holes all over it and in the nighttime was a very dark corner," Ramsawack said. "She saw that and she envisioned in her head a wonderful place where people can get out and enjoy walking safely in the park during the day or night."

A resident of the area, Jerry Roman, said he was happy to hear that the park will be better lit in the future.

"When I walk here at night, there's a light that's supposed to illuminate the area at night, but it turns off and on," Roman said. "It's a safety concern—not for us guys, but I have nieces. If they were walking here at night, I'd want the area to be lit better."

While Roman said he appreciates the park because it give him a place to relax and be close to nature, he thinks that there are improvements that could be made.

"If you spent anytime here, you'd see there's all these groundhogs making holes," Roman said. "I used to run here and I’d have to take my time because, if I would hit a pothole, I'd have to worry about twisting my ankles."

Morin said she plans to continue to advocate for the park and to find funding to fill in the holes. Her biggest goal is to get a skate park or plaza built for the local kids similar to the .

"They need a place to go close to their homes to skate," Morin said. "Right now they skate on the concrete seating around the pool. My ultimate goal is to give them a place to skate in the park as well."