New beginning for Perry Park
August 16, 2001
Community celebrates park’s rebirth
New beginning for Perry Park
by Carly Mayberry
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Assistant City Manager Sue Armstrong, Perry Park Senior Club President Roger Reger, Mayor Greg Hill, Councilman Kurt Schmalz, Bob Pinzler, and Marna Smeltzer, president of the Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce pose at Perry Park’s ribbon cutting ceremony. |
Where once there was a chain link fence surrounding Perry Park, there is no more.
Despite all the positive remarks made by public officials and community members this best symbolized the meaning behind the grand opening of the park and Perry Park Senior Center last Sunday in North Redondo.
“Obviously, this is what government is suppose to do,” Mayor Greg Hill said, taking a break from chatting with the crowd of about 250 people.
At Sunday’s event it was the typical summer faire, with barbecued hot dogs, beans and watermelon. While kids could be seen participating in the beanbag toss, seniors tossed horseshoes and line danced.
The ribbon cutting ceremony took place under an old Morton Fig Tree, it’s lavish branches providing shade and protection to not only the dignitaries but the spectators.
The transformation of Perry Park began in 1996 when neighborhood residents and the city council succeeded in getting an injunction against gang-related activities placed on the park.
After more than $1 million spent on renovations from state and federal government funds, the park now boasts a teen center, new playground equipment and a renovated senior center.
“This is the culmination of a lot of work by a lot of people,” Councilman Kurt Schmalz said. “It’s taxpayers’ money well spent.”
“It was a tremendous challenge,” said former Councilman Bob Pinzler, one of the first to get involved in the restoration of Perry Park.
“The neighborhood didn’t believe they could do anything about the gang activity. People had very much given up,” he said.
But according to Pinzler, that’s when local residents got angry.
“A council can only do so much,” Pinzler said. “This is a testament to what a neighborhood is. When neighborhoods use places people can’t disrupt them. It’s when you abandon a place that bad things can take over.”
But the exterior look of the park and its facilities is only part of the story. The other part involves the interaction of both young and old that use it. For a time, while the senior center was being remodeled, the older folks had to share accommodations with the teens.
