Work Boot event eyes plans for restored barn at Deukmejian Park

With its stone exterior, the barn at Deukmejian Park has a strong presence, but it’s practically empty inside.

It’s usually closed off to the public, but City Council members and local residents were given a peek inside on Tuesday and heard about what’s ahead for the historic building.

Mark Sturdivant, a recreation supervisor with the city, told a crowd of about 25 people about plans to convert the barn into a nature education center.

“First, we envision the barn as a portal into Deukmejian Park. Then we envision it as a place that provides an opportunity for visitors to learn more about the natural history of the region,” Sturdivant said.

The gathering at the barn and stops at other local parks were part of the latest installment in the City Council’s Work Boot series, where residents can get a behind-the-scenes look at Glendale’s inner workings.

Recreation Supervisor Mark Sturdivant speaks to the Glendale City Council and residents at the Le Mesnager Barn at Deukmejian Wilderness Park to discuss the future of the barn. The presentation and tour was part of the city’s Work Boot series.

(Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

Sturdivant said the city acquired the Le Mesnager Barn back in the late 1980s. Since then, about $2 million has been put toward seismic improvements. The city is currently looking for someone to complete the second phase of the project, which will entail electrical and plumbing work as well as putting in a concrete floor over the current dirt ground, he said.

After that, a third and final phase will bring about educational displays and exhibits to complete the barn’s transition into a nature education center, Sturdivant said.

The project could go a long way in boosting community pride and a sense of personal responsibility in maintaining the property, he added.

“It will instill an appreciation for nature in order to generate a sense of stewardship, so when people come to this park, they’ll take ownership of this park and work to make this park beautiful,” he said.

However, getting to the park, which is more than 11 miles away from downtown Glendale, was a concern expressed by at least one resident.

“I think that if there’s going to be a lot of effort in making a community center, it should be near the center of town,” said Stephen Webber. “[The barn] is a great building, but the location itself is a bad location as far as it being accessible.”

Mayor Ara Najarian said he had the same concern about the park’s location, as well as where the money would come from to pay for the second and third phases.

Last year, the city amassed $16 million in development-impact fees, which were paid by downtown developers to go toward improving existing parks and creating new ones.

However, Najarian said he’d rather spend that money on park projects in downtown and south Glendale, where residents who will be most impacted by new mixed-use developments are living.

Community Services Director Jess Duran said money paid into the development-impact-fee fund prior to the $16-million influx by downtown developers will be used to complete the barn project. Once underway, he expects an 18-month timeline for completion.

The Work Boot event also included a stop at Pacific Park, which on Tuesday afternoon was home to a soccer match between students from the adjacent Edison Elementary School.

It wasn’t an after-school program organized by Glendale Unified, but rather the city. Launched last August, One Glendale is a city-sponsored after-school program where fourth- and fifth-graders meet twice a week at four local schools to play sports such as football and soccer.

Eight recreation leaders were hired to oversee the program, which has cost $131,000, so far, Duran said, adding that four more local schools, including R.D. White and John Muir elementaries, are asking to be part of One Glendale.

Councilman Vartan Gharpetian is a big fan of the program — having voted in favor of it, he is also an AYSO youth soccer coach in his free time.

With an estimated 3,400 soccer players locally, he said it’s time to look at constructing new artificial-turf fields at existing parks, such as Verdugo Park.

“The infrastructure is there, the parking is there, we don’t have grading to do,” Gharpetian said. “We have to build more soccer fields … It’s being overlooked, and there’s a huge demand for it.”

However, Najarian said that open spaces such as the Glendale Sports Complex are more appropriate for new soccer fields, not Verdugo Park, and that just because there’s room for a field doesn’t mean that it’s the right place.

“Verdugo Park is much more of a passive park,” he said. “Tearing out the grass is going to change its character.”

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Arin Mikailian, arin.mikailian@latimes.com

Twitter: @ArinMikailian