Praise for Johnny Carson Park

Open park spaces are critical to the health of Burbank. Nature is revitalizing. Protecting it and teaching children to appreciate it in an age of urban growth takes visionaries. With the redevelopment funding cut, it would have been easy to just let the restoration of Johnny Carson Park be shelved.

I am so proud of the group of undeterred visionaries who went after every single grant possible to secure over $2.1 million dollars for its restoration. At this week’s council meeting, four of the five council members supported moving the project forward. The park is an asset for the entire community and its restoration protects it for generations to come.

Even with such extraordinary community support, enormous grants and devotion to complete the project with cost control, Council member David Gordon was the sole “No” vote. I am baffled by his disdain for sustainability. I hope that once the park restoration is complete, he will visit it, stroll over the pedestrian bridges, enjoy the stream bed transformation and rethink his position on sustainability. I am grateful for Mayor Emily Gabel-Luddy’s unwavering attention to preserving city assets such as Johnny Carson Park.

Laura Cochrane
Burbank