South Bay : 25 Years of Lobbying Finally Earn Gym

After lobbying for 25 years, residents in the Peck Park area of San Pedro are finally getting a gymnasium.

Ground has already been broken for the 12,000-square-foot facility and construction is expected to begin in a month.

The $1.2-million gymnasium will come with a full-size basketball court, retractable bleachers and two locker rooms. Gym advocates said local youths and adults are eager for the new facility because San Pedro’s current handful of recreation centers are considered some of the most crowded in Los Angeles.

“This is a great thing for San Pedro,” said local resident Mel Bobich.

The city Parks and Recreation Commission first promised to erect the facility 25 years ago but only when “funds became available,” Bobich said.

During the ensuing years of tight budgets, that promise became more of a wish until the money finally materialized through the efforts of City Councilman Rudy Svorinich Jr. and the community’s resident-run Recreation Task Force.