Preserving local open space and developing trails and other park facilities will get more difficult as government grants get much more competitive to obtain, reported the Glendale News-Press yesterday, echoing what city council heard this week from staff and from Mike Miller of The Ferguson Group, Glendale’s federal lobbyist.
Local groups, and the city, are already pursuing new strategies; it remains for residents to support them to ensure continued public access to nearby open spaces.
V.O.I.C.E. just sent out this email blast to keep supporters engaged in preventing development of the Verdugo Hills Golf Course, even as it waits for a final environmental impact report delayed by, among other things, budget cutbacks in the city of LA’s Planning Department. Excerpts from the email:
While we wait for the final EIR this is a good time to reflect on what we stand to lose if the proposed project goes through. The City of Los Angeles already faces a shortage of recreational parkland. Loss of the VHGC would only worsen the situation. In fact, the 2009 Draft Environmental Impact Report acknowledged this. The loss of recreation is one of two significant negative environmental impacts that cannot be mitigated. There is no way to lessen the loss.
Preserving the Verdugo Hills Golf Course is MORE than saving just the existing golf course. The extended property of the VHGC provides space for additional forms of recreation for local residents. The Verdugo Hills Golf Course & Regional Park could become a recreational destination for us all.
The city of Glendale set up the new Glendale Parks and Open Space Foundation. The foundation is now organizing its second fundraiser, the Verdugo Mountains 10K Run and Hike, set for May 1.
Glendale is also preparing to compete for federal appropriations as Congress eliminates earmarks (link is the staff report). The Los Angeles Riverwalk, a plan for upgrading bicycle and pedestrian paths along the border with Glendale and surrounding communities, is one project staff identified in its report as consistent with current federal interests.