Neighborhood Park Gets New Identity

Complete with new playground equipment and restroom doors, the portion of North Hollywood Park west of the Hollywood Freeway has been christened Valley Village Park.

“It takes a village to make things like this happen,” said Valley Village Homeowners Assn. President Lori Dinkin, paraphrasing First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. “We’re just really proud of it.”

The dedication of the park came after nearly 300 people gathered for a Fourth of July parade and celebration on Saturday.

The ceremony marked the culmination of two years’ worth of work to beautify the park, located between the Hollywood Freeway and Westpark Drive just south of Magnolia Boulevard, Dinkin said.

The vision for the park was to create a place where neighbors could come and talk to each other, while their children played in a safe and friendly environment, Dinkin said.

New playground equipment has replaced three old rusty swings, and the restroom doors were moved from facing the freeway to facing the play area.

“It’s so much safer,” Dinkin said. “Now parents can sit at the park and watch their children and others who go in and out of the restrooms.”

The playground equipment, with new swings, slides and bars, was painted in subdued greens and beige to blend in with surrounding sycamore trees and houses along Westpark Drive.

“It’s just wonderful for all the children in the neighborhood,” Dinkin said. “They were just thrilled with the new equipment.”