Park in Verdugo Mountains Receives Honor From State

A city park in the Verdugo Mountains, once overgrown and marred by graffiti, has been honored with the California Park and Recreation Society’s special park planning award because of a dramatic transformation made possible by a $1-million state grant.

The Wildwood Canyon Park now has hiking trails cleared with well-marked entrances, stonework, a guard at the front gate, rustic picnic areas, limited parking, repaved roads and restroom facilities, said Mary J. Alvord, Burbank’s parks and recreation director.

The renovation also included erosion-control projects and a return to native vegetation.

What impressed the awards committee was the coordination between the city, the state and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, which oversaw the grant. The project was also cited for excellence in preservation, Alvord said.

“They liked the fact that the improvements had been done to help the park return to a more legitimate use,” Alvord said.

The award is the highest honor the society gives to a park facility.

Wildwood Canyon Park was donated to the city in the 1950s by Joseph De Bell, who had also donated part of the land for the De Bell Golf Course, which is also city-owned. A grass-roots campaign to renovate the park lead to the city applying for the state grant, Alvord said.

“What we’ve tried to do is improve enough of it so that the people can comfortably have access to it,” Alvord said. The renovations gave the park a look it has never had before, she said.

“For the first time, entry onto those trails is very clearly marked,” said Alvord, referring to a 1 1/2-mile loop trail through the park.

The park, which can be reached by following Harvard Road out of the city, feels isolated because it is still undeveloped and rustic, Alvord said.

On April 27, Joseph Hooven, the city’s parks and recreation board chairman, will present a plaque to the City Council memorializing the award.