
The improved step at the west end of Two Strike Park near the bridge.
By Mary O’KEEFE
In a follow-up to the Sept. 16 CVW article “New Ramp Not Useful for Everyone,” Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation and Flood Control/Public Works have been looking into which agency exactly is responsible for this small but imperative portion of a ramp that was constructed at Two Strike Park.
As reported earlier, the ramp is part of a decades long walking path project for the park. A wide sidewalk now winds its way through the park leading from the parking lot on the east side to Henrietta Avenue on the west. The project included a ramp to make it easier to enter and exit the park for those who are in wheelchairs as well as those who use strollers and walkers and those who have difficulty traversing stairs. The problem is the far west end of the ramp where those leaving or entering the park must traverse dirt paths, an uneven wooden bridge that crosses the Eagle Canyon Channel and a broken curb.
CVW contacted Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation and Flood Control/Public Works to find out what could be done to make the ramp accessible for everyone.
Surprisingly, the first challenge was finding out which agency was responsible for that area.
Many locations within LA County are overseen by different agencies. To determine which agency was responsible for the Two Strike Park ramp, representatives from the County of LA Dept. of Parks and Recreation and the Dept. of Public Works, LA County, which is the agency the Flood Control District falls under, looked into the issue to determine which was responsible.
Both agencies acted quickly and sent out representatives to review the area that included the ramp, bridge and path on the west end of the park.
“That investigation confirmed that the park, the pedestrian pathway and the bridge all belong to Parks and Recreation, which is responsible for their maintenance. The bridge over the LA County Flood Control District’s Eagle Canyon Channel was permitted to Parks as early as 1950 and was built by Parks on the site on June 14, 1961. Because the recreational trail has no nexus with the channel’s flood control function, the Flood Control District (managed by Public Works) would not have a role with the trail or Parks’ pedestrian bridge,” according to Steve Frasher, Public Works spokesman.
This was confirmed by Chester Kano, architect/chief of Development Division, Dept. of Parks and Recreation.
A Parks and Recreation representative went to the site and noticed that at the end of the bridge on the Henrietta Avenue side of the park (west side) there was a dip of about an inch. That dip was fixed immediately to “enable a smooth transition.”
Kano concluded a meeting with Public Works Road Division and it was confirmed that full ADA compliance is not possible due to the existing slope and lack of pedestrian sidewalk at Henrietta Avenue.
Public Works Road Division will perform a maintenance project to add new asphalt paving from the end of the bridge to the edge of Henrietta Avenue, including a new asphalt rolled curb to replace the existing, cracked asphalt curbing. While this won’t change the slope, this will eliminate the dirt and loose gravel in that area making it more stable for walkers. Also, the new rolled curb should be smooth and easier to traverse with strollers and other wheeled accessories, according to Kano.
In addition, the Crescenta Valley Town Council has asked LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger to support making Crescenta Valley Park more accessible for all, said CVTC President Harry Leon.