RACHEL JOHNSON
News Assistant
The City of Malibu is beginning the second stage of the Legacy Park production in the former Chili Cook-Off site.
The first stage of the project was to purchase the land from a private owner. That phase was accomplished in the fall of 2006. Now council members and city officials are working to create a design for the park.
The park will provide many benefits for Malibu residents, according to city manager Jim Thorsen. Most notable is the storm water treatment center that will help to improve water quality in the region, mainly in the lagoon, Malibu Creek and Surfrider Beach. According to Thorsen, the storm water facility will capture 90 percent of the water from rainstorms, which will be filtrated and cleaned at Legacy Park.
The storm water facility was the first wastewater element to be put into the park. The sewer portion of the project will not start until much later, because it is a much more technical process, Thorsen said. However, the city manager said that though this portion of the park will take longer to complete, it will definitely be beneficial to the Malibu community.
“The wastewater facility is a benefit to the region as well because there are many septic systems that need improvement,” Thorsen said. “This new regionalized treatment will dispose of unclean water and be acceptable to the environment. It’s a great project overall.”
The public works department will oversee the entire design project, though Thorsen said all city departments will be involved in the development of the park. A planning department will help with an environmental impact review, an important tool that will help officials ensure that park construction will not harm the environment. The parks and recreation departments will be involved as well.
A technology committee, comprised of scientists and engineers, will be established to review the technological aspects of the park design. Additionally, they will serve to provide construction committees with input on how to approach and solve technical problems.
In addition to city departments, there are many ways for community members to get involved. The city is offering two types of focus groups: for residents in the community who live nearby and will be directly affected by the construction and for environmentally-conscious residents who can give input on ways to avoid pollution and maintain clean standards. Meetings will be held throughout the process to keep residents informed and to allow members of focus groups to provide feedback.
Public meetings have been planned throughout the year to encourage residents to remain enthusiastic about the project. Residents will be able to see how the project is progressing and will then be able to attend hearings to provide input on the construction of the park.
City officials said they are keeping environmental guidelines in mind when considering the design of the park. Committees will go through an environmental impact report when creating the design in order to identify possible environmental impacts.
“Construction-wise, we’ll worry about pollutants and learn to identify how best to mitigate those things,” Thorsen said. “All environmental issues will be researched. We will make sure that whatever we do is environmentally sound and designed properly.”
One of the main challenges in the process is to fully fund the project. Thorsen said city officials are looking to aggressively pursue grants and to petition state and other agencies to contribute funds to the park’s construction.
City officials are planning to have completed this stage of the project by the end of the year, Thorsen said. Once the project gets final approval, the park will go into the final design stage. When that is completed, construction companies will bid on royalties to the project. Once a company is chosen, the actual construction will begin.
Thorsen said that when Legacy Park is completed, it will live up to its name.
“The importance of the project is captured in its tagline of it leaving a legacy,” Thorsen said. “It will be a permanent landmark that benefits Malibu for years to come.”
02-15-2007
