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Residents are asked to follow rules to safely use these areas including:  Washing or sanitizing hands before and after using the equipment.  Wearing face coverings (everyone ages 2 and older).  Maintaining a physical distance of six feet or more while using equipment.  No eating or drinking at the playground to ensure face coverings are worn at all times.  Provide adult supervision at playgrounds to ensure that these safety protocols are met.   Limiting use of equipment to 30 minutes if others are waiting.  Parks, Recreation and Marine is supporting safety efforts by:   Increasing the cleaning of frequently touched surfaces.  Supplying signage and physical distancing markers.  Establishing reservation protocols for the exclusive use of playground equipment for preschools, childcare organizations or other program cohorts.  There are over 56 playgrounds located throughout the City park system. Outdoor fitness areas are located at Admiral Kidd Park, 2125 Santa Fe Avenue, Bixby Park, 130 Cherry Avenue, Chavez Park, 401 Golden Avenue, Coolidge Park, 352 E. Neece Street, Downtown Fitness Loop bordered by Alamitos Avenue, East Shoreline Drive, Aquarium Road, West Shoreline Drive and Ocean Blvd, 14th Street Park Fitness Zone 14th Street between Locust and Palmer Court, Houghton Park, 6301 Myrtle Avenue and Orizaba Park at Orizaba and Spaulding.     For the latest information on COVID-19, with details on all that the City of Long Beach is doing to keep its residents safe, visit longbeach.gov/COVID19 and follow @LongBeachCity on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

For the City of Long Beach, off we go into a new fiscal year….FY/21, as it began on October 1, is a budget significantly affected by the COVID pandemic. Greatly diminished revenues that historically sustained the General Fund and our Parks, Recreation and Marine Department, have created a ripple effect of specific reductions in many areas. One of the most notable changes that will certainly be noticed by the public we serve will be the number of furlough days that will result in reduction of a wide range of our traditional services and operations City employees, through the City Employees various bargaining units, agreed to an array of furlough days in the coming year valued at a $11.0 million savings towards the City’s projected $30.0 million budget shortfall.    The furloughs began on Friday, October 2 and will continue on a bi-weekly occurrence over the 52 weeks of the fiscal year, most PRM administrative offices will be closed. The good news is that certain essential services will remain open and operational on those 26 furlough Fridays as a result of staggered scheduled coverage. In particular the El Dorado Nature Center will remain open on Fridays as part of the El Dorado Regional Park’s ongoing operations and accessibility to the visiting public. We also will have the Belmont Pool open on all Fridays along with the continuance of weekday after school programming. You can always check with the PRM website as to facilities, programs and operational changes related to the furloughs.    I am extremely proud of the creative programming being planned and presented as we ‘reimagine recreation services’! Within this publication of “We Create Community” you will discover a bounty of quality programs and experiences that our team has developed. As we emerge from the COVID era into what many call the “new normal”, I believe we all will realize an elevated significance and importance of our parks, open spaces, natural areas, trails, beaches, marinas, and recreation centers where programs and special events help us create and celebrate a stronger sense of community.    Enjoy the beauty of autumn and seek out opportunities to stay healthy, fit and socially engaged. The holiday seasons are rapidly approaching, and we really do have much to be thankful for. Stay safe and love your parks! Parks Make Life Better!

Now that fall season has begun, visitors to El Dorado Nature Center and Regional Park might see quite a few unique birds stopping by as they begin to migrate away from cooler temperatures and head towards warmer weather in the Southern hemisphere.     A great example of a migratory bird is the Canada Goose. Although we have plenty that have decided to permanently reside in our parks, you might see a few flying up above in a V formation as they make their way down south. During your next visit, keep an eye out to see if you can spot a bird who might be making a pit stop!

Long Beach Parks, Recreation and Marine (PRM) is now offering recreation programs for youth going on through December 19. The programs provide access to fun and enriching experiences while maintaining appropriate staff-to-participant ratios and enhanced safety protocols.    The free recreation programs will provide a variety of hands-on activities that incorporate learning, homework help, fitness and arts and crafts.     ARISE Middle School and High School Camp   October 10 - December 19  A camp for middle school- and high school-age ARISE (Adaptive Recreation in Special Environments) participants featuring recreational and enrichment activities. The camp will take place at Stearns Champions Park, 4520 E. 23rd St., on Saturdays beginning October 10 - December 19 from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The fee is $4 per session. The camp will follow all safety protocols and offer a 5:1 participant-to-staff ratio. Registration will be available in person at Stearns Champions Park by appointment only. For additional information, call 562.440.2867.

Mobile Recess Program   October 12 - December 18   This PRM program brings an array of free activities to designated neighborhood streets throughout the city for youth ages 5 to 14 (grades K-8), including homework help, arts and crafts and fitness activities. Mobile Recess is free and supplies and equipment are be provided at no cost. The program follows safety protocols and will offer a 12:1 participant-to-staff. Space is limited and registration will be accepted on a first-come, first served basis. Participants can register on-line at LBParks.org or in person at the following locations during the days and hours listed.  Mondays and Wednesdays, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.   Hellman Street, between Orange Avenue and Cerritos Avenue  11th Street, between Junipero Avenue and Raymond Avenue  Baker Street, between Golden Avenue & Amebco Road   E. 67th Way, between Orcutt Avenue and Muriel Avenue  Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.   17th Street, between Henderson Avenue and Chestnut Avenue  8th Street, between Gladys Avenue and Freeman Avenue  16th Street, between Gundry Avenue and Walnut Avenue   Jackson Street, between Orange Avenue and Walnut Avenue   Fridays, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.   W. Parade Street, between Harbor Avenue and Fashion Avenue  23rd Street, between Cedar Avenue and Chestnut Avenue    For additional information about the City’s recreation programs, call 562.570.3150 or visit longbeach.gov/park/.

PRM’s El Dorado Nature Center at 7550 E. Spring Street is offering the Nature Detectives After School Camp Program this fall with lower staff-to camper ratios and other enhanced safety protocols.    The program provides children ages 5-10 (birthday must be before 9/2/2015) with safe, social, fun, and educational outlets in a natural setting. The camps are designed to ignite an interest in nature through hands-on, experiential activities. Campers are challenged to join an investigation team and use observational skills, conduct research, and make new discoveries while exploring the trails for clues to answer some of nature’s most curious questions.    All camps include curriculum that corresponds to grade level content standards for elementary-aged students. Enrollment in camps must correspond with participant’s current grade level.     Camp Sessions  Kindergarten – 1st Grade:Tuesdays, October 20,27   2nd and 3rd Grade: Wednesdays, October 21,28   4th and 5th Grade: Thursdays, October 22, 29     All sessions are from 2:30 p.m. –  4 p.m., with a medical check in at 2:15 p.m.  Camp times may be subject to change when Long Beach Unified School District re-institutes in- person teaching.    The cost for each four-week session is $80. Register at LBParks.org.

Users can keep the old app to check the status of prior requests but will not be able to add new service requests into the old app. In order to keep both apps during the transition period, the new app is temporarily titled Go Long Beach! to differentiate it from the existing app.

The Go Long Beach app gives Long Beach residents, business owners and visitors the ability to quickly submit requests, 24 hours a day, seven days a week from anywhere with a smartphone.    Staff can learn about issues such as broken lighting, marina dock repairs or leaking fixtures in freestanding restrooms and get the repair process started. The app is aligned with the City’s Language Access Policy and works in Spanish, Khmer, and Tagalog. Users can more easily track the status of requests and see reports and maps of requests being addressed throughout the city.    The old Go Long Beach app has been retired from the Apple App Store and Google Play. Residents can now download the new free app.  Users can keep the old app to check the status of prior requests but will not be able to add new service requests into the old app. In order to keep both apps during the transition period, the new app is temporarily titled Go Long Beach! to differentiate it from the existing app.

The Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine (PRM) has a long history of partnering with nonprofits to help expand the mission and values of the Department to serve the community with recreation programs and services. Since September 2019, PRM has partnered with the Conservation Corps of Long Beach (CCLB) at Willow Springs Park to help maintain and operate the park while providing valuable job training for at-risk youth. The park located at 2755 Orange Ave, encompasses 15 acres of natural habitat, open space, and trails open to the public vista point in Long Beach, and is the home of the City’s Mulch Program and the Office Sustainability Work Yard.       The partnership consists of an Urban Wood Recovery and Utilization Program that employ sustainability principles with the Park’s Master Plan to help reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Not only does the CCLB provide maintenance and operation support at the park but also provides future opportunities for corps members to perform stewardship at the park. The Urban Wood Recovery has a focus on protecting the environment through the diversion of urban wood waste from landfills and by increasing the planting of climate appropriate trees that will significantly increase the long-term storage of carbon. By opening a satellite site at Willow Springs, the organization will better serve the Long Beach community by hiring and training youth to maintain existing and new parkland and green space. Since the start of the partnership, the CCLB has begun to transition 40 young adults into permanent employment, internship, or post-secondary education with a career pathway in urban forestry.    Established in 1987, the CCLB is one of 13 State Certified Community Conservation Corps programs in California that train and educate youth by pairing state accredited alternative high school curriculum with various conservation projects such as graffiti removal, habitat restoration, recycling, urban forestry, fire fuel reduction, invasive vegetation treatment, community garden development, and construction to provide marketable work skills while helping to preserve and restore our local environment. The CCLB has existing sites in East Long Beach, Bixby Knolls, and in Signal Hill.     For more information about the Conservation Corp of Long Beach, visit http://www.cclb-corps.org/. For more information about Long Beach Office of Sustainability programs, visit longbeach.gov/sustainability.  Contributed by PRM Partnerships Officer Alma Castro

Things are brighter at Silverado Park thanks to the hard working PRM Facility Maintenance team.      The park’s tennis court lighting dated back to the 1930s. It consisted of “festoon type lighting” strung across the tennis courts that provided minimal lighting for tennis players. Partnering with the Department of Public Works to perform the underground electrical scope and with help from General Maintenance Supervisor Chris King and Maintenance Assistant Edwin Barillas from Marine Maintenance, PRM Facility Maintenance stretched their budget to erect six new L.E.D light poles and fixtures to properly illuminate the playing courts.     PRM Electrician Omar Barbosa coordinated the layout and researched a type of fixture to provide the maximum affordable lumens. Maintenance Assistants William Richburg, Pedro Sosa, Antonio Guerrero assisted with the installation of the new light standards.

Have fun but stay safe this Halloween. To stay safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Long Beach recommends these fun activities:   Online parties/contests (e.g., costume or pumpkin carving).   Car parades, such as drive-by events or contests.   Halloween movie nights at drive-in theaters.   Halloween-themed meals at outdoor restaurants.   Halloween-themed art installations at outdoor museums.  Dressing up homes and yards with Halloween themed decorations.    Halloween activities that are not allowed include:  Halloween gatherings, events or parties with non-household members, even if conducted outdoors.  Carnivals, festivals, live entertainment and haunted house attractions.  Door-to-door trick-or-treating as it can be difficult to maintain proper physical distancing  Trunk-or- treating,” where children go from car-to-car instead of door-to-door to receive treats, as it can be challenging to avoid crowding and sharing food.    For more information on COVID-19, with details on all that the City of Long Beach is doing to keep its residents safe, visit longbeach.gov/COVID19 and follow   @LongBeachCity on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

As a former Navy town that once was home to the Long Beach Navy Base, it is fitting that Long Beach is the site of the Lone Sailor Memorial at Ocean Blvd. and Paloma Ave. The statue commemorates the past and present service of all men and women who have served and continue to serve our nation on the seas.  The Long Beach Lone Sailor is a replica of the original Lone Sailor statue, cast by artist Stanley Bleifeld, located on the granite plaza that forms the amphitheater of the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Although the artist has created several Lone Sailor memorials throughout the United States, the Long Beach Lone Sailor is the only one that overlooks the ocean. All others are located inland while one overlooks the San Francisco Bay.    This magnificent bronze statue was placed on the bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, on October 13, 2004, the 229th anniversary of the creation of the United States Navy. The dedication of the statue was held on December 11, 2004 in memory of the many brave men and women who gave their lives on December 7, 1941 at Pearl Harbor.    The City of Long Beach is honored to be the home of a countless number of brave sailors and is especially proud to be home to one more lone sailor.