Johnny Carson Park in Burbank to get $1.7-million grant for waterway restoration

Burbank will get a $1.7-million state grant to restore a storm water channel and create 8 acres of habitat at Johnny Carson Park, officials announced Wednesday.

The planned project would widen, thicken and add vegetation to the Tujunga Wash creek that runs through the park and into the Los Angeles River. Plans also call for a new playground, jogging path, lighting and seating area.

The money is part of $34 million being distributed by the California Natural Resources Agency to 33 river parkway projects throughout California and comes after Burbank lost out on a $3.5-million grant last year for the Johnny Carson Park improvements.

“This money will go a long way in the much needed renovation of Johnny Carson Park,” Judie Wilke, Burbank’s director of Parks, Recreation and Community Services, said in a statement.

The latest round of state grants, announced in Sacramento on Wednesday, will be used to acquire, restore, protect and develop areas along waterways, according to the California Natural Resources Agency.

State Secretary for Natural Resources John Laird said in a statement that the river parkway grants are important tools for helping communities connect children and families with more outdoor recreational opportunities, while also protecting sources of clean water.

The renovations to the 17.6-acre Johnny Carson Park, which borders Bob Hope Drive and the Ventura (134) Freeway, are still in the design phase, according to the city.

--Jason Wells, Times Community News

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