Corey Lakin, the Director of the Parks and Recreation Department for Culver City, stood at the podium suffused with pride. “This is a great day for us, and we have so very many people to thank.” The sunny morning of Jan. 25, 2019 was the moment in focus. Many of those being thanked for the Park to Playa Trail – both organizations and individuals – were present in the crowd there at Culver City Park to cheer the completion of the project. The County of Los Angeles, the City of Culver City, the Baldwin Hills Conservancy, the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Conservancy, and the Ballona Creek Renaissance were all praised and cited for their cooperation and support in creating the unique slice that is now the Park to Playa Trail.
Vice Mayor Meghan Sahli-Wells reminded the audience that “back in the 1980’s all this was landfill, decorated with oil derricks. We owe a lot of gratitude to the previous city councils, the County of Los Angeles, and all the many entities that worked together to plan and create this public park.”
Funds from California Prop 84 were used to refurbish the boardwalk and enhance the ADA access, creating a postcard perfect section high on the hillside.
David McNeill of the Baldwin Hills Conservancy Board noted that there was still one part missing. “The pedestrian bridge planned to connect Kenneth Hahn State Park with the Stoneview Nature Center over La Cienga Boulevard is still to come; we are taking that as our next and last piece to run the trail all the way from the top of Baldwin Hills to the beach at Marina del Rey.”
With the snip of a long red ribbon, Sahli-Wells declared the park open to cheers and applause.
For maps and more photos, go to trails.lacounty.gov/Trail/237/park-to-playa-trail
Judith Martin-Straw
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