Altadena’s Loma Alta Park reopens after Eaton fire damage, bringing smiles to fire-weary burn zone

For Sara Tyberg of Altadena, whose nearby home was devastated in the Eaton fire, Saturday’s reopening of Loma Alta Park was a meeting of mixed emotions.

“That’s just the reality of it,” she said, sharing tears as she stood on the colossal new playground structure before a band of frolicking children. “But we’re all going through it together. We’re not alone and that’s kind of what makes things okay.”

After a four-month closure, the park is back and stronger than ever. New and rejuvenated facilities, including two Dodgers “Dreamfields,” a comprehensive, updated recreation center, and new library and senior center satellite facilities, were shown off in an opening day ceremony and celebration.

“This makes me happy,” Tyberg said, with her son taking part in a special closing-day ceremony with the Central Altadena Little League on the new fields. “This is our neighborhood.”

“I’m happy to see it open and I’m happy to be here with our community,” she said. “We see a lot of friends here. The park looks great. We’ve very grateful for it.”

It was a cool, overcast and sometimes misty day, but the officials on hand were ebullient.

“Recovery is not easy and we just have to keep going and bring our own sunshine,” Norma Edith Garcia, director of the Department of Parks and Recreation, told a crowd of a couple hundred before an official ribbon cutting for the playground.

The park received a $2.4-million grant to rebuild the playground as part of the proceeds from the FireAid benefit concert.

Spirits were slightly tempered by about two dozen protesters who made their presence known throughout the morning. Carrying large signs and composed of a coalition of several local groups, they shared a message that, while Los Angeles County has directed resources to expedite renovation of this park, it has neglected the needs of some residents.

Katie Clark, a member of the Altadena Tenants Union, said that needs remain significant and they want more help from L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger directed toward them.

“We’re inviting the supervisor to work with the community to devote the same kind of energy and enthusiasm and resources to help the families of Altadena that are still struggling,” she said, “people that are still living in hotels, in cars, who have no place to go, who can’t afford housing, who need solutions.”

“The park is beautiful. We’re not protesting the park. We’re asking her to please, please, please join us in finding solutions for all the families that still need help,” Clark said, stating that Barger had been unresponsive.

“We’ve been trying to engage with her office for months, but the only time we’ve really only been able to get a response, or even an acknowledgement from her, is when there’s a risk that a photo opp might be not what she has in mind,” Clark said.

“That’s why we’re here today,” she said. “We’re trying to get her attention.”

Barger, who took part in the opening ceremony and a tour of the park that followed, said the protestors were not telling the whole story and that it was untrue that she wouldn’t meet with them.

“I know what their issue is. I have talked to them before. Today is not the day to go over it,” she said, acknowledging their right to protest.

“I think it’s very unfortunate that they can’t recognize that this is about working toward healing,” Barger said.

“I’m excited about the opening,” she said. “To me, that’s what today is about.

“It’s a celebration in a very sober way, because you still have people who are survivors who have lost everything, and at the same time, this shows you … what you can do in bringing the community back together,” she said.

A separate ceremony, which featured a visit from Dodgers pitcher Evan Phillips, took place at noon, with a dedication of two new baseball diamonds — Dodgers Dreamfields numbers 66 and 67.

“We are really proud to be a part of this project,” Nichol Whiteman, CEO of the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation, said before the ceremony.

“We think this is very important and very special, as we think about the devastating fires in January, as just a small first step, a beacon of hope for community, and an opportunity to provide yet another gathering space,” she said.

Whiteman said the fields were completed in record time.

“This is a very brief project for us,” she said. “We’ve never done these fields in six weeks and that’s what kind of happened here.”

Phillip Pollerana, president of Central Altadena Little League and a native of the area, expressed his appreciation for the work.

“As a lifetime Altadenean, I’m here for my community … to get a glimpse of what Loma Alta Park is going to look like once people start to come back after they rebuild their homes,” he said.

“It’s giving us that feel of normalcy,” Pollerana said. “It’s giving us the feel of new, so it’s kind of giving us a glimpse into what the future’s gonna look like for us as we start to slowly rebuild our community.”

Jarret Liotta is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer and photographer.