Input needed on City Parks!!

Not much as been mentioned about this, so I wanted to post a notice about some public meetings in the City regarding the future of our parks. I tried linking to the Rec & Parks blog post, but it wouldn't let me for some reason. So, here's what they post:

HELP MAKE CITY PARKS IN L.A. BETTER
Community Needs Assessment meetings in December and January

LOS ANGELES – The City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks will hold community meetings in December 2006 and January 2007 at which the public can express concerns and give compliments, provide improvement ideas, and participate in determining the future of their local park, recreation center, and/or other Department facilities that serve them.

All citizens are encouraged to share their thoughts about the strengths and weaknesses of existing Department services, help develop a mission, and engage their neighbors, businesses, community organizations, and other agencies in building dynamic and creative programs, events, and services through partnerships.

There will be two meetings in each of four geographic areas; the first session will be for stakeholders to provide input and the second will be when feedback is given. The schedule is:

· METRO: December 7 and January 25 (both of which are Thursdays) at Lincoln Park, 3501 Valley Blvd., Los Angeles, 90031, (213) 847-1726 (contact is Cassandra Bruno).

· PACIFIC: December 13 and January 31 (both of which are Wednesdays) at Exposition Park Intergenerational Community Center (EPICC), 3980 S. Menlo Ave., Los Angeles, 90037, (213) 763-0114 (contact is Kimberly Simonet).

· VALLEY: Thursday, December 14, and Tuesday, January 30 at Valley Plaza Recreation Center, 12240 Archwood St., North Hollywood, 91606, (818) 765-5885 (contact is Caroline Lammers).

· WEST: Tuesday, December 12, and Thursday, February 1 at Cheviot Hills Recreation Center, 2551 Motor Ave., Los Angeles, 90064, (310) 837-5186 (contact is Kelly Werling).

All meetings are scheduled for 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. except December 7 at Lincoln Park, which is set for 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Child care will be provided and refreshments will be served. For more information about the series of workshops, call (213) 485-1310.

I would say everyone should go and give feedback - how often does the City ask for input and then actually have a meeting pre-scheduled in order to respond? Fairly impressive (and gutsy) if you ask me!