Sliding Away From It All

City officials opened a water slide Wednesday with hopes it will be more than just a spot for wet summer fun. The 150-foot slide into the swimming pool at Hubert H. Humphrey Memorial Park was first proposed in 1997 by then-City Councilman Richard Alarcon as a deterrent to the gangs that had taken over the park in Pacoima.

“We had brought a lot of resources like a Neighborhood Watch into the park,” Alarcon said Wednesday. “But we were looking for more ways to end the violence and the shootings going on in the park. We thought one way would be to get a water slide in there.”

Alarcon said he had seen neighborhood participation go up and gang violence go down after a water slide was installed at Sun Valley Park. Pool use increased by more than 50% in the first year that slide was available. “The message is that the community is in control of the park,” he said. “The way we look at it is, every kid who uses the slide gives us one up for the neighborhood, one down for the gangs.”

City Councilman Alex Padilla, who succeeded Alarcon on the council, continued the project and officially opened the attraction Wednesday. He joined other swimmers in taking a plunge down the new water slide.