NEWPORT BEACH
When Jim Thompson saw all the construction signs disrupting traffic on Newport Boulevard and Via Lido last week, he thought, unlike many: “Great! Finally!”
More than three years ago, Thompson led a campaign to raise $300,000 to purchase the site at 3531 Newport Blvd., and an additional $100,000 to turn the overgrown, empty lot into an attractive entryway to Balboa Peninsula.
By mid-December, that 8,000-square-foot property will be planted, City Engineer Bill Patapoff said.
In the summer of 1996, the City Council approved the park idea and agreed to pay the annual $1,200 for maintenance. Thompson then undertook the lengthy task of fund-raising.
The park will include a mixture of shrubs, trees and other plants, Patapoff added.
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