A brightly colored flyer from Los Angeles County officials seeks Chipper’s help in the Eton Fire Zone.
“Volunteer with us to celebrate Earth Day in Altadena!” It reads.
Digital posters invite the public every Saturday in April. So the volunteers say they can paint murals, plant trees and carry out landscaping work in the park.
Eton Fire was closed after clearing more than 6,000 homes in Altadena. Because the park is damaged and surrounded by the Hulk, a formerly beloved home. This is because the soil at Loma Alta Park has not yet been tested for dangerous materials. Because thousands of Altadena residents are suffering from the aftermath.
“With your help, Loma Alta Park will be the first public park to reopen for the Altadena community after a devastating Eaton Fire,” the poster reads. “Bring your gardening tools, paint your brushes, and wear comfortable shoes and clothes!”
Flier was posted on the official Facebook page of LA County supervisor Kathryn Berger on Monday.
The response from Altadena residents is fast and intense.
“This is deaf to our reality as much as you can get!” Read one of the over 100 comments.
“What is the point where you open the park in a toxic wasteland?” another said.
And another one: “Hey, kids, take a break from all this trauma and drive by the old neighbourhood to plant trees.”
The unscathed tennis courts at Loma Alta Park are in stark contrast to the burning house adjacent to the Eton fire in Altadena.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
The response in Altadena, where the fire destroyed almost half of all property, underscored growing concerns that staff and outsiders were in a hurry to say that everything was back to normal, overcoming the pain.
In a statement to the Times, Berger said it was “recorded repeatedly from Altadena leaders and community groups” that it was important to restore services for families, children and seniors.
“Some community members are questioning why this project, the surrounding community, looks like a war zone, and why there is so much need,” Burger wrote. “But I have also heard many calls to reestablish community services, so I support this project.”
On Burger’s Facebook page, residents said they were surprised by the idea of letting their kids play in Loma Alta Park, surrounded by burnt-out houses and lots of things as of this week.
Many questioned whether it was safe for volunteers to work in the soil after being encouraged by county health officials to wear personal protective equipment when digging the remains of their home.
The destroyed car is sitting in the driveway of the burned house across the street from Loma Alta Park on Wednesday.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Others lamented the money spent in the park rather than being given directly to the displaced people.
“I don’t know how to deal with this. Leslie Atkins wrote on Berger’s Facebook page. “We don’t get the promised help. Donations aren’t getting the victims’ help. This is not a happy opportunity. For the city of Earthdena, celebrating Earth Day is very premature. Celebrating anything now is totally deaf.”
The fire destroyed the Atkins home on Caraveras Street, where she and her husband raised their 22-year-old daughter. The loss hurts so much that she hasn’t returned to see the abandoned.
“The shock of that is exhausting, but it’s almost worse than it is now. “Yeah, it’s real now,” the 59-year-old Atkins told The Times. “These are people who have been affected? They’re not moving forward. They’re still living it.”
She said of her appeal to volunteers: “It’s all about performance. They want to pat on the back. [for] How fast things are moving. ”
The County Parks Department announced this month that the 17-acre Loma Alta Park will reopen in May.
A spokesperson for the LA County Department of Parks and Recreation said in an email to the Times that personal protective equipment will be available next month as a volunteer.
They said the Parks Service is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to remove burnt playground equipment, maintenance sheds and damaged plants and trees. The timing is uncertain.
“After this, the soil will be tested by the contractor and the results will be shared with the community,” the email read.
The Parks department said other plans for Loma Alta include the creation of a satellite senior center and library, as well as expanding after-school childcare and youth summer programs.
The swift reopening is supported by money from the January 30th Fireaid Benefit Concert and the charities of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Clippers.
The Dodgers Foundation has announced plans to build two Dodgers Dreamfields for young baseball and softball players in the park. And the LA Clippers Foundation said it plans to fund a makeover for the park’s gym and basketball court.
According to the parks department, the $2.4 million grant from Fireaid will be directed towards changing and expanding playgrounds. The massive concert featuring Lady Gaga, Green Day, Joni Mitchell and other artists has raised an estimated $100 million.
Atkins said she was troubled by Fireaid’s money heading to the park.
“I’m not like, ‘Oh my god, where is my money?’,” she said. “But the money was donated to the fire victims.”
Greg Gill, a semi-retired public relations expert and resident of Altadena, said the county’s appeal to volunteers at the park lacked safety details and “touched a lot of raw nerves.”
“I’m sure there was a small amount of due diligence done by the county, but at least tell us that,” he said.
Gill, who has been living in Altadena since 1997, lives in an RV outside the house with smoke and soot damage.
“People want volunteers, we want that,” he said. “But sometimes I could have studied your message better. When it’s a disaster zone, I don’t know how it will land.”
His neighbor, Tina Caldos, also lives with her family in a trailer outside her home. She said she looks forward to the park being opened safely one day, but now she feels it’s too early.
The thoughts of the crowd of people who don’t live in Altadena descending the park make her uneasy.
She said she was angry every time she saw one of her teenage sons run slowly around the neighborhood, make phone calls and take photos of the wreckage.
“He says, ‘This is not a TV show, this is my life.’
