Palmer Park upgrades bring worries from Glendale residents

A $2.6-million plan to revamp amenities at Palmer Park in south Glendale won support from a city commission on Monday, but residents living near the site want the city to address concerns of reported drug users on the public property after hours.

Two decades of wear and tear on the park have prompted the city to use grant money and development-impact funds to add a full basketball court and an expanded wading pool.

The Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission voted 5-0 in favor of the plan, which heads to the Glendale City Council sometime next month.

Jess Duran, the city’s community services director, said the improvements were motivated by feedback from residents living near Palmer Park.

“Based on the feedback we got, [the wading pool] was a very important and popular feature that the residents wanted to retain,” he said.

So that amenity will be expanded to more than 600 square feet and include a beached-slope entryway.

The park is surrounded by homes on three sides and a few of the residents living there told commissioners that they worry a larger basketball court will bring not only added noise, but attract more people who use drugs and drink alcohol there after closing time at 10 p.m.

Garabed Kopooshian said he’s seen people hop the fence and into his backyard who claim to be looking for their basketball, even though the court is not lit at night.

“After 8 o’clock, they can’t smoke the dope because the cops are circling around, so they come into our backyards,” he told the commission.

There is also a path that police can use to cut through the park in their cars.

Commissioner Alex Woo said there’s not much the parks department can do about the drug situation, so he and his colleagues told the concerned residents and building owners to continue contacting police when they see illegal activity.

“I think that’s the only thing we can do, and sooner or later, they’ll realize that they’ll get caught,” Woo said.

Duran said his department will look into installing security cameras at the park and extending the police path to the basketball court. If feasible, those improvements will be included in the proposal that will be go before the council, he said.

Commissioner Elen Asatryan asked whether lighting could be added to the basketball courts.

“I think people that would be there for drugs and alcohol would really not be so open to doing it under light,” she said.

However, Kopooshian said added lights would bring more people to the park.

Duran agreed and said leaving the courts in the dark acts as a deterrent.

“When the courts are closed at night and in the dark, people are not supposed to be on the court and that’s enough for the police department to approach them,” he said.

Other amenities that are part of the proposal include an expanded area for skateboarding and a renovated restroom building.

Duran said the next park eyed for improvements is Fremont Park and a master plan for that project is expected to return to the commission sometime next month.

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Arin Mikailian, arin.mikailian@latimes.com

Twitter: @ArinMikailian