Whittier : Council Drops Plan for Park Activity Building

The Whittier City Council rejected plans to build a $500,000 activity center at Michigan Park after about 150 residents attended a council meeting to protest the project.

The Parks and Recreation Department had proposed building the 3,500-square-foot center in the middle of the park to serve as a site for adult education classes and youth activities. Combined with 30 parking spaces, the activity center would occupy about one-fourth of the park’s space.

Residents submitted a petition with about 280 signatures of people who opposed the activity center. The residents feared the building would increase traffic in the area, attract vagrants and spoil the park’s open play area.

After hearing more than an hour of testimony from residents who opposed the project, the council voted unanimously to shelve the activity center. Councilman Robert F. Woehrmann suggested the $500,000 be used for anti-gang or anti-drug youth activities.