The redesigned Lincoln Park officially reopened on February 10 after a multi-year closure for the construction of the surrounding new Long Beach Civic Center, which includes the state-of-the-art Billie Jean King Main Library, Port of Long Beach building and City Hall.

Lincoln Park now offers a variety of new amenities for active and passive recreation including discovery zones for children, fitness equipment, a universally-accessible playground for all ages and abilities, a synthetic turf sports field, skate park, dog park, half basketball court, grassy areas, and – most notably – an iconic 13-foot-tall Lincoln penny.

The $19.5 million park facility was primarily funded through a first of its kind Public Private Partnership. The Department of Public Works oversaw the funding, construction and project management of the park while the Parks, Recreation and Marine Department co-led the park’s vision, design and programming, and continues leading ongoing community involvement and facilitating future partnerships. Park amenities were designed with the forethought of utilizing materials that are long-lasting, easy to maintain and consistent with those offered at other Long Beach parks.

Input from residents and community members also contributed to the development of the new park. Last fall, the City sought community feedback and recommendations for the types of events, programming and activities people would like to experience. The survey, available both online at: https://bit.ly/3hNAjAX and in-person, is still open for submissions.

The PRM Park Planning and Partnership Bureau is working with the local arts and culture community, local businesses, nearby residents, sports groups, and the Long Beach Public Library to form a Friends of Lincoln Park association.

Originally designated as Pacific Park in 1888 and renamed Lincoln Park in 1915 with the installation of the iconic Abraham Lincoln statue, Lincoln Park is the oldest park in the city.
The month of March has ushered in a welcomed return to many aspects of what we remember as normal. Farewell to mask requirements indoors for individuals who are vaccinated, and in-person meetings are soon to resume. The past two years since COVID arrived with a significant impact upon all aspects of our lives, at times has seemed like decades. One thing we clearly learned was how important parks and open space proved to be to the greater community during the pandemic. Each day when I drive into El Dorado Park and see the memorial tree we planted last year, I remember our four beloved co-workers who passed away too soon during the challenging time of the COVID era.

It was a joy-filled moment to welcome back Lincoln Park into the City of Long Beach family of parks last month. The park has been warmly embraced by the community with positive activity in literally every corner. The coming year will see scores of special events, creative programs, art and sculpture displays, movies, and concerts in the park. The new park landscape is really taking hold and adds to the beauty of these special three acres in the heart of downtown Long Beach.

The return of City Council recognition of an Employee of the Month brought the spotlight onto our Parks, Recreation, Marine and Animal Care Services team during the month of March. The Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine is proud to recognize Diego Duarte, Recreation Leader Specialist as the Employee of the Month. Diego is described by his co-workers and Supervisor as someone who gives 110% to the job, every day. Diego approaches every day with a positive can-do attitude. Diego started his career with the Department as a youth sports participant at the age of 6 years old. Little did he know that his involvement as a participant in park programs and his many years of as a teen volunteer would help mold him into the exceptional employee that he is today. Diego’s kind and helping demeanor has assisted him advance from an entry level staff to now having oversite of our very popular Mobile Recreation program. The Department is proud of Diego and all his hard work in our park programs.

I also want to acknowledge the great public service of Valerie Davis, who has served as my Executive Assistant throughout my first two years here in Long Beach. She has been instrumental in keeping our Executive and Management teams focused and responsive to the broad array of customer service expectations from the community and our nine Council District Offices. She is retiring from the City of Long Beach after 23 years of excellent professionalism, valuable networking and collegial relationship building. We wish Val well in her future endeavors.

As springtime weather improves and the trees in our parks push forth fresh greenness, we are reminded how essential trees are to a healthy community of people and wildlife. We are busy making plans this month for April’s celebrations of Earth Day and Arbor Day and our contributions to a healthy and smartly expanded urban forest. Our parks play an important role in this effort. I hope you will be able to enjoy the beauty and welcoming qualities of our parks, open spaces, and recreation facilities throughout the month of March.
El Dorado Regional Park hours changed on March 1. The park now opens at 7 a.m. and closes at 8 p.m. The last vehicle entry permitted will be at 7:30 p.m. The El Dorado Nature Center hours will remain the same, opening at 8 a.m. and closing at 5 p.m. closing with last trail entry at 4:30 p.m. For more information call 562.570.1745.
The Silverado Park Pool, at 1540 W. 32nd Street has reopened after being closed for repairs for several weeks.

The pool closed on December 20 for regularly scheduled annual maintenance. During that time, issues with the pool filtration system were discovered. The necessary replacement parts were received in late February and the repairs were made.

The swimming pool was built in 1961 and renovated in 2007 with funding from the 2000 and 2002 State Park Bond Acts and the Federal Urban Park and Recreation Recovery program.

Silverado Park Pool is open Monday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday for Lap Swimming; Monday, Wednesday, and Sunday for Water Exercise; and Saturdays for Swimming Lessons. Call 562.570-1721 for more information. 

For additional information about other PRM aquatic programs and to register for swimming lessons visit LBParks.org.
Long Beach Parks, Recreation and Marine will offer in-person day camps during the upcoming Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) spring break, April 18 - 22. Youth ages 5 to 12 will enjoy crafts, physical fitness, enrichment activities, cultural celebrations, and more.

Registration begins at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, March 23 at LBParks.org. In-person registration will be available from 9 to 11 a.m. on March 23 at the following sites:
  • PRM Administrative Office, 2760 N. Studebaker Rd.
  • Pan American Park, 5157 E. Centralia St.
  • King Park Pool, 1910 Lemon Ave.
  • Belmont Plaza Pool, 4320 E. Olympic Plaza
  • Houghton Park, 6301 Myrtle Ave.
  • McBride Park, 1550 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave.

The camps will operate Monday through Friday, April 18 through 22. The fee is $30 for campers attending from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and $50 for those attending from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Camps will take place at the following parks:
  • Admiral Kidd Park, 2125 Santa Fe Ave.
  • Bayshore, 5415 E Ocean Blvd.
  • Bixby Park, 130 Cherry Ave.
  • Cesar E. Chavez Park, 401 Golden Ave.
  • College Estates Park, 808 Stevely Ave.
  • Coolidge Park, 352 E. Neece St.
  • Drake Park, 951 Maine Ave.
  • El Dorado Park West, 2800 N. Studebaker Rd.
  • Houghton Park, 6301 Myrtle Ave.
  • MacArthur Park, 1321 E. Anaheim St.
  • Martin Luther King Jr. Park, 1950 Lemon Ave.
  • McBride Park, 1550 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave.
  • Orizaba Park, 1435 Orizaba Ave.
  • Pan American Park, 5157 E. Centralia St.
  • Ramona Park, 3301 E. 65th St.
  • Scherer Park, 4600 Long Beach Blvd.
  • Silverado Park, 1545 W. 31st St.
  • Somerset Park, 1500 E. Carson St.
  • Stearns Champions Park, 4520 E. 23rd St.
  • Veterans Park, 101 E. 28th St.
  • Wardlow Park, 3457 Stanbridge Ave.
  • Whaley Park, 5620 E. Atherton St.
Campers and staff will be required to follow all currently applicable COVID-19 safety guidelines.

Financial assistance is available on a first-come, first served basis. Additional information about these programs and other activities for youth is available at LBParks.org or by calling 562.570.3150.
Parks, Recreation and Marine (PRM) will offer in-person adaptive recreation programs for middle and high school youth and adults, providing fun and enriching experiences such as art, games and fitness activities designed for people with special needs. Programs will run April 30 through June 11, and registration begins on Wednesday, March 23, at 2:30 p.m.

The Adaptive Adult Recreation Programs will take place Monday through Friday from 2 to 5 p.m. at Stearns Champions Park, 4520 E. 23rd St. The program cost is $20 per week.

The middle and high school programs, for youth grades six through 12, will take place on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The cost is $15.

Registration will be available beginning March 23, 2022 at 2:30 p.m. in-person at Stearns Champions Park by appointment only. To make an appointment or for more information, people may call 562.440.2867.

Both programs will follow protocols for the health and safety of both participants and staff.

Additional information about other PRM summer recreation programs and offerings is available by calling 562.570.3150 or by visiting LBparks.org.
Long Beach Parks, Recreation and Marine is now offering free Virtual Recreation Programs for youth ages 5 to 12. The virtual programs feature enriching, fun activities such as arts and crafts, fitness, dance, cooking, cultural celebrations and more. Families can access these videos anytime, anywhere by visiting www.youtube.com/user/ParksLongBeach/playlists.

The Virtual Recreation Program is made possible by the Long Beach Recovery Act, a plan to fund economic and public health initiatives for residents, workers and businesses critically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional information about the Long Beach Recovery Act is available at longbeach.gov/recovery.

For additional information about the Virtual Recreation Program and other activities for youth, visit LBParks.org, or call 562.570.3150.
On February 15, the City Council authorized the acceptance of $12.05 million in grant funds from the California Department of Parks and Recreation for capital improvements at Bixby, El Dorado West, MacArthur, and Ramona Parks. Senator Lena Gonzalez, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, and Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell secured the money from State surplus to be used for capital improvements at Bixby, El Dorado, MacArthur, and Ramona Parks.

Bixby Park will receive $850,000 of improvements to be determined through a prioritization process. Preliminary recommendations include renovation of the historic Bandshell, hydration stations, a basketball court and a technology center/computer lab within the community recreation center.

El Dorado Park is slated to receive $1.2 million for improvements to the youth softball and baseball fields and surrounding area.

MacArthur Park will receive $8.5 million to begin to implement elements of the MacArthur Park Vision Plan, which was received and filed by the City Council on July 16, 2019.

Lastly, $1.5 million will fund a signature playground to replace the existing playground at Ramona Park.
The 5.98-acre Sim’s Pond is a hidden oasis of wildlife and plant-life sitting quietly beside the constant buzz of the traffic along Pacific Coast Highway. Motorists travelling eastbound along Loynes Drive can appreciate the greenery across the highway when they hit the stoplight at PCH.

According to Tracy Hauck, former Gardner II in the Grounds Maintenance Division, the area is teeming with wildlife including opossums, coyotes, raccoons, ducks, egrets, white pelicans, least bitterns and black crowned night herons. Staff is responsible for cleaning the area and spraying in the non-nesting season to keep invasive bull rush under control.

Sim’s Pond is a former portion of Alamitos Bay that was filled in the 1920’s with the construction of Marine Stadium and oil recovery activities. Determined to be private property by the Alamitos Bay Boundary Settlement Agreement of 1968, the site was undeveloped for many years except for a road side stand selling fishing bait. A large seasonal pond was developed next to the bait shop largely from run-off from the large Stonybrook apartment complex uphill from the site. The pond was named for the bait shop owner, although the correct spelling of the name is disputed (alternates are Sims’s Pond and Simm’s Pond).

When the private property was developed with single-family dwelling subdivisions in 1978, the developers were required to develop the wetland where the pond had formed as a freshwater nature preserve. This was done, and maintenance of the wetland was the responsibility of the homeowner associations of the two developments (Del Lago and Costa del Sol / Bay Harbour).

In 2003, 25 years after the mandate of the homeowners association was about to expire, the California Coastal Commission contacted the City about acquiring the property. It was determined that acquisition was consistent with the goal in the recently adopted Open Space Element of the General Plan of increasing City open space to 8.0 acres per 1,000 residents from 5.6 acres per 1,000 residents. The Parks and Recreation Commission recommended in favor of the acquisition in March 2003, and on August 19, 2003, the Long Beach City Council voted to accept the property and maintain it as public open space and a wildlife biological reserve.
LBACS is open by appointment only.
To make an appointment to adopt or foster a pet, please email PetAdopt@longbeach.gov or call 1.562.570.4925. Appointments may be made from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

Need to license your dog or cat? Need spay or neuter assistance? Looking for your lost pet? Looking to adopt? Visit www.LongBeachAnimalCare.com.
Congratulations to Diego Duarte on being named the Employee of the Month for December 2021. Here are some fun facts about him:

What’s the last TV show you binge-watched? One Tree Hill.

What’s the best thing you’ve learned in your current position?
There’s always time to help out others that may need your help.

What’s your own advice that you always follow?
Always work hard no matter how small the task may be.

What’s one small thing that makes your day better?
My dog’s morning barks.

Who inspires you?
My Dad!

What is or would be a good nickname for you at work?
Dee.

What song always gets you onto the dance floor?
Return Of The Mack.

If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
Ability to read minds.

Who would play you in a movie of your life? Shia LaBeouf.

Using one word, how would you describe your family?
Influential.

A genie gives you one wish. What is it?
That my family never has to work ever again.

Would you rather have a completely automated home or a self-driving car?
Self-driving car.

How long have you worked with Parks & Rec? How long with the City?
I have worked with the City of Long Beach, Parks, Recreation and Marine for 7 years.
Hooray to Maria Pulido who was named the Employee of the Month for January 2022. She recently answered a few questions so that we can get to know her better.

What’s the last TV show you binge-watched?
I prefer walks in a park over television.

What’s the best thing you’ve learned in your current position?
Maria likes the environment she's in with staff and they are like family.

What’s your own advice that you always follow?
Always keep moving forward, never turn back.

What’s one small thing that makes your day better?
When someone says “hello” it makes Maria’s day better.

Who inspires you?
Herself.

What is or would be a good nickname for you at work?
The Accomplisher.

What song always gets you onto the dance floor?
Because I’m Happy.

If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
Speed, quickness.

Who would play you in a movie of your life? The Rock.

Using one word, how would you describe your family?
Everything.

A genie gives you one wish. What is it?
Buy my daughters a house.

Would you rather have a completely automated home or a self-driving car?
Automated house.

How long have you worked with Parks & Rec? 6 months.