Oro Vista Park, located at the end of Oro Vista Avenue in Sunland by Big Tujunga Canyon, recently had six new pieces of exercise equipment installed along its Grove Street border. The project was spearheaded by former STNC Environmental Representative John Laue and Pat Kramer, Region 1 representative of the Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council in conjunction with Council District 7 and the City of Los Angeles Recreation and Parks. Recreation and Parks also planted two trees, installed safety bollards around the exercise area and installed concrete for both the picnic table area and for the fitness area. In addition, separate funding was used to install speed humps in the parking lot as an added safety measure.
According to Recreation and Parks landscape Architect Robert Oyakawa, the original cost for the equipment and installation was just under $16,000. However, with the added enhancements (not including speed humps for the parking lot), the total cost amounted to $37,000.
The project was initiated in May 2016 when a community meeting was held in Sunland to discuss the project and get feedback from the public. Of the 30 persons present at that meeting, many of whom were property owners in an adjacent neighborhood, 27 voted in favor of having the exercise equipment installed. At a follow up meeting on June 21, the location for the fitness equipment was discussed by Recreation and Parks and on Sept. 21 its board of commissioners voted unanimously to grant Quimby funding for this project.
Oro Vista Park is known as a “passive park” which Recreation and Parks defines as a park with no scheduled or ongoing programming. The new fitness equipment is the first to be installed at a park in Sunland-Tujunga.
As a result of the public meetings held on this park improvement project, Recreation and Parks will be pursuing similar enhancements, per public request, to provide exercise equipment at Sunland Park, as well enhanced lighting and safety fencing around the children’s play area. Installing exercise equipment in park settings is one of the priorities of Recreation and Parks in making outdoor areas more usable by the public while also promoting exercise as a part of maintaining one’s health.