In car-crazed 1958 Los Angeles, it didn't seem like such a bad idea to build a public pool just feet from the 101 Freeway. For decades, swimmers at the Echo Park Shallow Pool put up with a little exhaust and maybe the occasional out-of-control car veering a bit too close to the water—it was worth it to beat the heat. Eventually though, the swimming-near-carbon-monoxide fad died down and the pool closed up shop; for several years now, the abandoned Shallow Pool has been not much more than an eyesore. But soon it will be reborn. The Department of Recreation and Parks and Councilmember Mitch O'Farrell are planning to convert the troubled pool into a skate park, reports Eastsider LA.
The $500,000 skate park will be paid for with Proposition K funds, which sets aside $25 million for parks projects. "There was a lot of interest among locals for a skate park, and that's why Recreation and Parks identified it as a Prop K project," said Bureau of Engineering project manager Richard Campbell. HMC Architects will be in charge of the design.
A series of public meetings will be taking place in October, first to gather community input on the park, and then to present design renderings. The project will then need to get city approval before construction can begin. —Jeff Wattenhofer
· Former Echo Park swimming pool to be turned into a skate park [Eastsider LA]