First Phase of Pali High Gateway Project Completed

A ribbon-cutting ceremony  Tuesday, Aug. 19 marked the completion of the initial phase of Palisades High School’s Gateway Project.

This first phase of the project focused on the area near Mercer Hall and the main office. The transformation included repainting with softer colors, replanting, highlighting a wall of ceramic tiles completed by Pali High students in the late 1970s and installing a dolphin statue to replace the dolphin water fountain.

Palisades High School Booster Club president Dick Held donated the dolphin, which he said he obtained from an old building in Las Vegas.

“It’s beautiful,” said Booster Club treasurer Dorothianne Henne at the dedication ceremony.

The overall aim of the Gateway Project is to address pedestrian safety concerns and beautify the school’s entryway.

Santa Monica Canyon resident, Pali High parent and architect Doug Suisman has spearheaded the entire plan. He’s devoted ample pro bono time to the project, with the financial help of the Booster Club and leftover funds from the late Rose Gilbert earmarked for infrastructure improvements.

The Bowdoin Street corner at Temescal Canyon Road is managed by the City of Los Angeles and was not designed to handle the volume of students attending Pali High today, according to Suisman.

“It was 700 kids then,” Suisman said. “It’s 3,000 kids now and more than 1,000 walk from Temescal into campus.”

The second phase of the project will involve the area between the flagpole near Mercer Hall and the street corner.

This phase aims to fix brick wall space, lighting and landscaping. Suisman estimated this portion of the project will cost $10,000 to $15,000.

The third phase, which is estimated to cost $150,000, will transform the corner at Bowdoin and Temescal into a more open, greener space with more room for foot traffic. Permits for this phase still need to be obtained.

“It will be good to have a new gateway and front door to Pali High,” Suisman said. “The campus is used so much by the community.”