As kids took turns climbing the new state-of-the-art equipment that was at their disposal Nov. 28 at the new Whaley Park playground, even city officials admitted that it had been quite some time since they heard so much (playful) ruckus.
“This is an amazing amount of noise here; it really reminds me of the council meetings,” joked 4th District Councilmember Daryl Supernaw. “It’s a great sound.”
That Wednesday afternoon, city officials hosted the grand opening of Whaley Park’s new playground, located behind the park’s community center at 5620 E. Atherton St. According to event organizers, the installation is the fourth recent upgrade to local parks in the city via Measure A– which includes Jackson Park, Los Cerritos Park and Veterans Park. Through Measure A, the City also opened David Molina Park in north Long Beach earlier this year and will have renovations for Drake Park in December.
“Believe it or not, there is no other park that I’ve been to the most [more] than Whaley Park,” Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia said. “[…] This is a place that has a lot of memories for me not only as a student, but as mayor. […] This playground behind us is one of the best playgrounds anywhere in the city of Long Beach.”
Supernaw said the park was designed to have art, science and physical activity in mind.
The project included the installation of two new playground structures, one for ages 2 to 5 and another for ages 5 to 12. The equipment meets the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), according to city officials.
“This is just a way of continuing to inspire young people,” said Gerardo Mouet, City director of Parks, Recreation and Marine, as he began to gesture to the kids playing behind him. “As you can see, it’s very, very popular.”
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