July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 46

GATHERING PLACE
County of Los Angeles Department
of Parks and Recreation. " For the
community, the park and its event
center will be the host to family reunions,
weddings, receptions, baby
showers, birthday parties and more.
Our mission is to serve as stewards
of parklands, build healthy and resilient
communities, and advance
social equity and cohesion. This
park fulfills the mission through its
design, which brings nature and
wildlife to an urban area, recreational
and interpretative programs, and
social gatherings and events for all. "
Sustainable Design
MIG collaborated with more than
20 subconsultants, including Paul
Murdoch
Architects
and Pacific
Advanced Civil Engineering, to
complete Phase 1A, which includes
such features as a new community
event center and offers a new natureinfused
environment of scenic viewpoints,
community social spaces,
play areas, walking trails, California
native coastal sage scrub and freshwater
marsh wetland landscape. The
inspiration behind this project is to
transform a widely used communitybased
park into something much
more: an interactive and dynamic
center of learning, nature and engagement
that is powered through
environmentally sustainable design.
Of particular note is a system that
diverts and captures stormwater
runoff from the community's 375acre
watershed, which is part of the
Compton Creek Watershed. The
stormwater is then treated through
a system of processes, including natural
biofiltration through mitigated
wetlands surrounding one of the
park's two lakes. The treated water is
stored within both lakes and reused
for on-site park irrigation. The freshwater
marsh wetland also creates an
important habitat for resident and
migratory birds, insects and other
urban wildlife. This technology, coupled
with the existing lakes, allows
for the capture, storage, treatment
and recycling of water, and acts as
a catalyst for urban greening and
meaningful outdoor space throughout
Southern California.
Before the renovation, the park
used 100 percent potable water for
landscape irrigation and for filling
the two existing man-made lakes. To
minimize potable water use, the park
was re-engineered through collaboration
with the Los Angeles County
Development Authority, Los Angeles
County Department of Parks and
Recreation and Los Angeles County
Department of Public Works to not
only recycle runoff, but also improve
water quality in Compton Creek, the
Los Angeles River and the Pacific
Ocean.
Restoring Nature
Through this project, restoration of
some of Southern California's vital
native plant communities, such as
the coastal sage scrub and freshwater
marsh wetland habitats, has been
achieved. Some of the Californianative
plants that are incorporated
into the park are Salix lasiolepis
(Arroyo willow), Juncus patens
(California Gray Rush), Anemopsis
californica (Yerba Mansa),
Eriogonum fasciculatum (California
buckwheat), Heteromeles arbutifolia
(Toyon) and Peritoma arborea
(Bladderpod).
California
natives
account for 80 percent of the new
plants that were installed at the park.
The constructed wetland and the
restored lakes on this project provide
important habitats for resident and
migratory birds, pollinators, fish and
other urban wildlife by providing
food, shelter and places to nest. Some
of the species that now frequent and
nest at the park are Grey Heron,
Black-Crowned Night Heron, RedTailed
Hawk and Black-Necked
Slits. Since the park renovations,
there have been more than 160 bird
species observed at the park.
The restoration of native plant
communities has brought this sense
of wildness into the urban environment,
further connecting the community
to nature, which is the park's
A community member looks at the
informational stormwater board.
46 Parks & Recreation | JULY 2 0 22 | PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G
PHOTO COURTESY OF CALVIN ABE
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation

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