Two Strike Park set for landscaping makeover
Two Strike Park in La Crescenta will be getting a $75,000 landscaping makeover in the form of additional native and drought-tolerant trees and a more efficient irrigation system.
Devised following the removal of eight dead or safety-threatening trees from the park’s entry median in June, the project recently approved by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors will take three to four months to complete once funding is secured, according to Terry Kanakri, a spokesman for Los Angeles County’s Department of Parks & Recreation.
“It will be the entrance of the city, of our community,” said Harry Leon, president of Crescenta Valley Town Council. “It’s going to be a very beautiful park, and it will [serve] the new generation that is going to come and start using it.”
It was a long time coming when the silver maple trees were removed this past summer, according to Leon. The ones that weren’t killed by the drought loomed brittle — and breakable — over children and other park-goers, he said.
Shortly after the removal, town council members formed an ad-hoc committee to discuss and design a plan to replace the trees and enhance the overall landscaping. County park staff members were looped into the process.
Eventually, the committee reached out to Kathryn Barger, the county supervisor representing the area, who toured the park in August and decided to back the beautification project, Leon said.
“This project replenishes trees and ensures sustainability well into the future for Two Strike Park, a special community gathering place,” said Barger, who introduced a motion for the project to her fellow board members, in a statement.
The latest project rendering shows nine island oaks planted along Rosemont Avenue.
Surrounding the trees will be new shrubs and ground cover, including desert agave and dwarf coyote brush, as well as 3-foot-high boulders, according to the plans.
“The existing median utilized trees and ground cover which were water-intensive,” Kanakri said, so the new design will be more sustainable.
More water will be saved through the use of 3-inch bark mulch, which will keep the soil cooler and reduce water evaporation, Kanakri added.
River-rock swales, or shallow trenches, will be dug to capture rainwater runoff, the plans show.
According to Leon, input from community members was taken into consideration for the final rendering. Several outreach events were held where working plans were presented, he said.
John Wicker, director of parks and recreation for the county, said in a statement that he appreciated the “local residents and team that were part of the vision, design and planning of this project.”
Money for the project will come from a 1980 Los Angeles County sales-tax initiative known as Proposition A, Kanakri said.
Twitter: @lila_seidman