After two years of applications, planning, negotiating, and working, Parkman Triangle is finally open. You can now grab a cafecito at Cafe Tropical and enjoy it with a guava cheese pie on one of the rocks (just throw away your trash, of course!).
About 40 or so people showed up for the opening of Silver Lake's newest micro-park. Eric Garcetti, whose support was crucial for this project's success, shared a few words. He mentioned that Parkman Triangle is a great example of how government can work. After all, it's not THE government, it's OUR government. He and his aide, Ryan Carpio, were a huge asset—Ryan and the council member were instrumental in paying for the demolition of those two layers of pavement that buried what was once a turn lane.
John Southern and Ara Babaian, whose work on evenings and weekends made Parkman Triangle a reality, shared a few words, too. They thanked many locals, like David Davis, who were passionate about transforming this ugly patch of asphalt--that was a heat island that attracted garbage and illegal parking--into a green space that anyone visiting the neighborhood south of Sunset Boulevard can enjoy.
The work is not over. We want to try to maintain Parkman Triangle as long as we can without hiring professionals to maintain it, but the City of LA will NOT spend funds on the upkeep of this park. It is up to us!
Parkman Triangle has its own website now, and we need the help of donors who can match the generosity of its
sponsors. You can also follow its progress on our Facebook Page.
Stay tuned; we want to organize monthly Sunday evenings where we can have acoustic music, allowing neighbors to get to know each other while helping with the upkeep of the park.
Let's keep the momentum going—and turn other blighted areas into something special.
The photos are courtesy of
Will Campbell.
