Bob Harter — for his work on the Pacific Palisades Recreation Center’s Park Advisory Board — was named a 2013 Golden Sparkplug Award honoree by the Palisades Community Council recently.
“For me it’s a great opportunity to let the community know what we’re doing with the park’s master plan,” said Harter, vice chair on the board.
With the help of the community, the board identified two items that will be fast-tracked in the renovation of the park and recreation center: the addition of 60 parking spaces and Bocce ball courts. The board has estimated that some 50 percent of parking spaces designated for park use are being used for things not related to the park, like people shopping or parking while they are at work.
“Park patrons are short changed because of this,” Harter said.
Harter wanted to emphasize the hard work he and his cohorts — namely, Jennifer Malaret, Madeline Hyman, Lynn Hylen, Lee Trask Bergstein and Gustaf Soderbergh — have put into the plan over the past several years they’ve been at it.
Harter and his wife, Ann, moved to the Palisades in 1973 when they bought one of the first eight homes built in the Highlands. Their two children, Ryan and Ashley, attended St. Matthews Parish School in the Palisades and went on to Harvard-Westlake School. Ryan was the Palisadian-Post’s first baby of the year in 1976. Harter has two grandchildren, one of whom lives in the El Medio Bluffs neighborhood and will grow up playing in the park, he said.
“So, I look at my involvement in the park as multi-generational because both our grandkids love the park,” Harter said.
He shares the Sparkplug distinction with Susan Corwin (Look for her profile in an upcoming issue). The two will be recognized at the Citizen of the Year gala held on April 24 at the Riviera Country Club.
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