It’s Official: Fire-Damaged Loma Alta Park in Altadena Set to Reopen in May

Loma Alta Park, which was damaged in the Eaton Fire, will reopen in May with enhanced facilities and expanded services, Los Angeles County officials announced Friday.

The rebuilding effort, which typically would take 18 months, has been compressed to just two months through expedited measures by state and county authorities, along with community partners and volunteers.

“The people devastated by the Eaton Fire need their community back, and LA County will heed the call,” said Norma E. García-González, Director of Los Angeles County Parks, at a Wednesday ceremony at the park.

Several funding partners have stepped forward to support the park’s revival. Fire Aid, a January 30 benefit concert, provided a $2.4 million grant to rebuild and expand the park’s playgrounds with enhanced accessibility features.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger announced funding for “Alta Chat,” a new community hub featuring Adirondack chairs and amenities designed to foster neighborhood connections among displaced residents.

The Dodgers Foundation will fund two Dodgers Dream Fields and baseball programming, with profits from the team’s opening day and World Series Ring Ceremony games supporting these projects. The Los Angeles Clippers will renovate the gym and offer the Junior Clippers Basketball Program for Altadena youth.

When reopened, Loma Alta Park — the first of Altadena’s county parks to reopen — will function as a “super park” offering numerous new services. After Altadena’s senior center burned in the fire, Los Angeles County Parks will partner with the Department of Aging and Disabilities to create a satellite senior center.

The park will provide 100 after-school slots for children ages 5-12, with all-day programming in summer, and 25 slots for children ages 3-4 in a Tiny Tots program. These services address critical needs after the fire destroyed 34 early childhood education facilities, damaged four others, and eliminated 2,802 licensed childcare spaces.

In partnership with the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity, the park will provide 25 Altadena youth employment opportunities through the Youth@Work program.

The park will also house a satellite Altadena library and host the Altadena Rotary Club’s summer concert series, relocated from the extensively damaged Farnsworth Park, where the Davies Building, a structure on the National Register of Historic Places, suffered significant damage.

Community involvement will be central to the reopening effort, with volunteer days scheduled every Saturday in April, officials said.

Designating April as “Earth Month” instead of just Earth Day, Los Angeles County Parks will partner with Tree People and Los Angeles Conservation Corps to focus on park rejuvenation and rebuilding the Altadena Community Garden.

Metabolic Studio will provide clean soil for the community garden after the removal of six inches of topsoil. A coalition of Rotary Clubs from across Southern California has pledged $10,000 for volunteer meals during the April rehabilitation days.

Local artists Victor Ving and Eric Junker will create murals commemorating the resilience of Altadena and its people as part of the park’s rebirth.

“Reopening by May 10 is ambitious, but to effectively serve the community in its time of need, Los Angeles County Parks and its partners realize the need to be bold,” García-González said. “Local leaders, philanthropic and community partners, and Los Angeles County Parks are inspired by the residents of the greater Altadena area to do more and go big. Reopening Loma Alta Park can help strengthen the community as it also seeks to rebuild.”

Volunteers can sign up at bit.ly/3QIsyxK.