Photo Gallery: Old Marengo Park Unveiled

Altadenans who have been around a while remember the sandy triangle at the corner of Woodbury Road and Marengo Avenue, the remnant of a Los Angeles County project that widened Woodbury Road and realigned Marengo Avenue in 1965.  For nearly 40 years, it was little more than a handy spot for vendors to sell sunglasses, jewelry and flowers to those who needed last-minute Valentine’s Day gifts.

“It was an empty, and, frankly, kind of ugly space,” Michele Zack, Altadena historian and instigator of the project to turn the plot into a park, said at the dedication of the space on Sunday.  “Because of the slope, it wasn’t even good to play ball on.”

That little peninsula is now officially Old Marengo Park, the first outdoor space to be designated as an Altadena Heritage Area (AHA!).  It was build three years ago, and the dedication and unveiling of the cornerstone, an etched granite boulder, was held Sunday afternoon in a simple celebration with cake and homemade lemonade.

Zack first got the idea for the garden when she was elected to the Town Council for Census Tract 4611 in 2004, which includes the area.  She formed the Altadena Watershed Committee to create a demonstration garden of California native trees and plants on the site.  She and other Altadena activists garnered the support of community organizations and foundations.  Some gave money, some gave expertise, and some the sweat of their own labor.

The property had one oak sapling on it when the project began.  Since then, 14 California native trees have been planted and two volunteer sycamores have sprung up.  It took some doing to convince the county that planting so many trees would be OK. 

“Maybe one” was what Zack was told, and “We don’t do that,” referring to landscaping abandoned areas.  The county was convinced when Zack’s husband and the original designer of the park, Mark Goldschmidt, took pictures of county-owned areas in east Altadena that were filled with trees.

With the blessing of the county, the project moved forward, on the condition that no maintenance would be provided.  It would be up to community members and neighbors make sure the plot is weeded and maintained, and they have come through to keep the area mulched, watered, and full of colorful blossoms.

The park not only beautifies a blighted corner, it provides a living lesson that low-water gardening can succeed.  The native plants are colorful and shady and do not take much water.  In-ground catchment basins in the park allow heavy rains to seep down and recharge the groundwater, rather than running off to the sea. 

Along with people from the agencies that had made it possible, several neighbors were at the ceremony.  Norman, who with his wife has lived in the area for decades, said he is “amazed they were able to pull it off.”  He thought the area was too small for so many agencies to be concerned about.

Zack said, “The park is very low maintenance. Neighbors have bought in on the maintenance.”  She said the park has not been watered in seven or eight months and eventually will not need to be watered at all.

Jose Trejo, for example, said he helped to clean up the area and continues to take care of it now that it’s established.

Patricia Guzman, who lives across Marengo from the park, says she helps Michele “a little bit” with cleaning the park.  “I have to learn to use it better,” she said, and added that she is thinking of bringing a park bench over. 

“I think we need to make the neighbors more aware,” she said.   “Sometimes when we don’t know what to do we don’t want to jump in.”

In her speech, Zack referred to the pile of mulch sitting at the top of the spur that remains of the original Marengo Avenue and borders the west side of the park.  “Anytime you want to, pitch in.  We didn’t finish the mulch spreading.”

Assembly member Anthony Portantino’s field representative Tanganica Turner was on hand to present a commendation to Altadena Heritage and Ilona Volkman of Los Angeles County Regional Park and Open Space District was there on behalf of the county.

The entire project cost about $100,000.  Grants and donations from the Metropolitan Water District, Los Angeles County Regional Park and Open Space District at the request of Supervisor Mike Antonovich, Neighborhood Church, Foothill Municipal Water District and other agencies as well as fundraising efforts by the Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy funded the project, which also served as the necessary 501(c)(3) organization to handle donations.

Altadena companies donated time, labor, equipment, and materials to get the garden established.  Robert Staehle, who serves on the AFC board, said “One of the most fun was Mountain View Cemetery.  We thought, ‘What are they good at?  Well, digging!’”  The cemetery responded, “But we only dig rectangular holes!”  Mountain View ended up supporting the project by sending staff to assist pro bono.

Other in-kind donations included water hookups put in by Pasadena Water and  Power, which services the area, donation of irrigation equipment (“a whole lot on really short notice,” according to Staehle) by J. Harold Mitchell and Company and Rainbird, mulch by landscape designer Laura Bauer, the wall holding the raised bed by P B Construction, and some of the rocks to build the wall by Altadenan Louis Fisher, who transported them down Marengo on his forklift.

“We’d like to continue developing the park,” Zack noted, “adding appropriate native plants that will add color, attract insects and birds, not take much water after they are established.”

One of the improvements suggested by people who attended the event was signage or a map indicating the names of the plants, which would help people know what to plant in their own gardens and increase the educational value of the park.  This suggestion was well-received by Altadena Heritage.

The park continues to be a gathering place for vendors, but now with a much nicer backdrop.  “It was never our intent to get rid of the vendors,” Zack stated.  “Sometimes they set up, and they have been very good about not leaving a mess.”

Taggers have also left the park alone, with only a couple incidents occurring early on, Zack said.  The county brought out the steam cleaners, and no further incidents have occurred.