Officials Step In to Reclaim Park
Officials in Pomona are helping residents to reclaim that city’s Philadelphia Park, where neighbors who attempted to remove graffiti in the past have been threatened by gang members.
City Council members approved the installation of new playground equipment and construction of a concrete sidewalk and curbing. The action is expected to discourage gang activity and drug dealing at the park, adjacent to Philadelphia Elementary School on Philadelphia Street near Towne Avenue.
The council’s decision to spend about $53,000 to fix up the park followed meetings with a neighborhood organization that was concerned about loud noises, broken beer bottles and recurring graffiti, said Doug Bridges, Pomona’s director of parks and recreation.
The city also will sponsor recreational activities, including soccer games and arts and crafts sales, in the hope of discouraging troublemakers at the park, he said.
Similar programs are being considered at Kellogg Park and Lincoln Park. Bridges said new play equipment installed last year has brought more families to Kennedy Park near Ganesha High School.
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