Photo by Sarah Shmerling
By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief
The Pacific Palisades Recreation Center Park Advisory Board met on the evening of January 18, covering a number of topics and updates, including a volleyball dedication ceremony, proposed off-leash dog park, ongoing safety concerns and an estimate for forthcoming remodeled restrooms.
Before the meeting was officially called to order, the PAB and Palisades Recreation Center leaders hosted a dedication ceremony “to thank the Toppel family for their generous donation to make volleyball possible.” Senior Facility Director Jasmine Dowlatshahi presented a plaque to Haldis Toppel, a longtime member of Pacific Palisades Community Council and Marquez Knolls Property Owners Association, and the Toppel family.
Haldis’ late husband, Kurt, led both boards before he died in February 2018. He helped raise and protect funds to assure the construction of a new gym in Palisades Recreation Center. Their son, Curt, grew up in Marquez Knolls and attended St. Matthew’s before attending Loyola High School and playing volleyball at Stanford. During the dedication, Curt spoke of his gratitude for the park and his time spent there while growing up.
The 2024 spring season at Palisades Recreation Center will include girls minor (born in 2013-14) and girls major (born in 2011-12) volleyball leagues. Evaluations are March 12 and 14, with minors at 6:30 p.m. and majors at 7:30 p.m.
During the PAB meeting, members of the Pacific Palisades Dog Park Working Group—Leslie Campbell, Lynn Miller Hylen and Carol Ross—announced that $1.5 million in Measure A funds would be requested by the city of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks to be designated to create a proposed dog park, which, when complete, would be located near the base of Temescal Canyon Road on Rec and Parks land.
“After eight long years of nipping at the ankles of LA Rec and Parks and City Council,” Campbell said, “we have finally reached a milestone.”
The proposed project, which has been in the works for nearly four decades, has plans to include small and large dog areas, totaling 33,255 square feet. The project scope, according to a board report, is to “create a new off-leash dog park, including new fencing, path of travel (concrete path, entry plaza), synthetic surfacing, landscaping (trees, irrigation, mulch), security lighting, [and] site amenities (shade structure, hydration station, benches, trash receptacles, dog agility equipment).”
Measure A funds, derived from an annual special tax on properties, are administered by the County of LA Regional Park and Open Space District Annual Allocation Program after being requested by the Board of Recreation and Park Commissioners.
“RAP expects to receive grant awards by late spring 2024,” according to the report.
The members of the dog park group thanked Councilmember Traci Park for her aid in making the request happen—as the proposed dog park was one of her campaign promises.
“For decades, residents of the Palisades have been fighting for a dog park,” Park wrote on Instagram following the January 18 Board of Recreation and Park Commissioners meeting where the funding request was unanimously approved. “I’m so excited to announce that today, we are one step closer. Today, the RAP Commission approved our request for funding to move this project forward.”
Throughout the PAB meeting, ongoing safety concerns at the park were also discussed, including incidents of vandalism and fireworks reported to be set off by teenagers. Dowlatshahi and Los Angeles Police Department Senior Lead Officer for Pacific Palisades Brian Espin confirmed incidents were most often occurring in the evenings between 10:30 p.m. and midnight, but some were occurring earlier in the day.
Dowlatshahi and PAB Board Member Maryam Zar said that a goal for 2024, in the park and community beyond, is to have cameras installed, to help deter incidents of this nature. Palisades Recreation Center also hired a park monitor, whose presence, Dowlatshahi said, has already been helpful in eliminating the incidents.
Espin explained that during some of the incidents, the teenagers are riding on e-bikes and a type of motorcycle that is typically used for off-roading in the desert, which requires a special license they don’t always have. In some instances, the kids are running away from LAPD officers.
LAPD has been able to identify some of the juveniles—including giving out some citations—but he recommended neighbors and schools have conversations with kids to let them know the concerns related to the behavior. LAPD has been allotted some overtime for extra patrolling, but Espin said “it’s hard to mitigate on our end because we can’t be out here 24/7.”
One of the final items discussed during the PAB meeting was forthcoming plans to remodel restroom facilities to be updated and ADA compliant near the playground in the small gym at Palisades Recreation Center, a project that CD 11 Pacific Palisades Field Deputy Michael Amster reported to be estimated to be $550,000 to complete.
The board discussed the projected cost for the restrooms, as well as an updated playground, which are two items the board has been advocating for dating back years. The board requested that Amster provide a detailed look at why the restroom, which would be paid for with Quimby funds, would cost that much, as well as if there are other options to move forward, including an alternate contractor.
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