Phase II Funding for Griffith Park Approved

A view of the city from Griffith Park early Thursday morning, where Phase II repairs have received funding and are slated to move forward.

The Los Angeles City Council today, Tuesday, Dec. 18, unanimously approved $1,155,000 to fund the second phase in the recovery of Griffith Park six months after a devastating fire scorched nearly 1,000 acres. The funds will be used to make repairs to storm drains and erect temporary fencing designed to catch debris should there be heavy rainfall.

“These preventative measures are necessary now that we are entering our region’s rainy season,”said Councilmember Tom LaBonge. “To date, even after a couple of good, steady rains, the soil is holding on the hillsides, but we can’t be cautious enough. As a daily hiker in Griffith Park, it appears that it is recovering naturally on its own, but we believe prevention is the way to go.”

Some of the worst-burned areas are also some of the steepest in the park and the Recreation and Parks Dept., which oversee park operations, wants to ensure that if erosion occurs on these slopes, neighborhoods and public areas below are not adversely affected. These areas would include the Los Feliz residential streets of Vermont Avenue, Commonwealth Avenue and Cadman Drive in Los Feliz and Crystal Springs Drive on the east side of the park.

Phase One of the recovery covered the cost of hydromulching the denuded hillsides with a seedless, organic compound that provided a crust to help hold the soil. According to Recreation and Parks officials, the hydromulching has helped greatly in holding the topsoil to the ground during recent rains.

Work has already begun on storm drain repairs. The structural fencing will be installed as soon as the department approves an RFP for the project. The fencing will be temporary and range from 20 to 100 feet in length, depending upon the width of the scorched canyon.