LITTLE TOKYO : Proponents Pitch Gymnasium Plan

Efforts are under way to gather community and city support for a public gymnasium that is expected to attract youths and families to Little Tokyo.

Proponents of the plan for a gymnasium at 1st Street and Central Avenue on city property have introduced the idea at monthly community meetings held at Centenary United Methodist Church since December. The plan calls for a temporary gymnasium that would house six basketball courts and could be used for volleyball, martial arts and community events.

“Every single person that we talk to is very enthusiastic,” said Minako Shirai, assistant project manager of the Little Tokyo Service Center’s Community Development Corp.

Such a gym would attract Japanese American sports leagues and other sports teams to Little Tokyo, bringing more young people into the community, organizers said.

“One thing a lot of community members feel is missing is youths,” Shirai said.

The gymnasium proposal, which is being researched by the city-appointed Little Tokyo Development Advisory Committee, could quickly be built by using an aluminum frame with a fabric cover, Shirai said. The gym would be modeled after a temporary facility at Newhall High School after the campus gym was damaged by the Northridge earthquake.

“We would like to start off with a temporary gymnasium, then gain more momentum and support to make it into a permanent one,” Shirai said.

Organizers hope to get enough support for the project that city officials will agree to lease the land for a small sum. Shirai said. The city’s Community Redevelopment Agency has included the gym in its five-year development plan for the neighborhood and promised up to $1 million for the project.

But organizers face a hurdle. The gym is proposed on land that has been designated for First Street North, a huge development project which was canceled by the city. Its developers sued the city and the land cannot be used until the lawsuit is settled. The litigation could last a year, CRA officials said.

John Saito Jr., a sports editor for the local Japanese newspaper Rafu Shimpo, said that supporters still plan to go ahead with the gym plan. Saito is organizing a letter-writing campaign in support of the gym to City Council members and Mayor Richard Riordan.

“At this point, we’re trying to get as many people (as we can) aware of the project and take it from there,” Saito said.