ECHO PARK TO OPEN ON JUNE 15>

June 13, 2013 Art Garcia No comments

FACLA
June 13, 2013

By Art P. Garcia

Los Angeles—Mayor Elect of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti will open the newly renovated Echo Park Lake to the public on June 15 after a nearly two-year-long, $85 million clean up and renovation.

That is the good news. The bad news is that the Annual Asian American Lotus Festival in Echo Park will not be held this eyar but was deffered for next year 2014.

The Echo Park Lake which had been closed for about two years as part of a water quality improvement project financed with Prop. O funds was restored lake and park grounds

Echo Park’s Lotus Festival

Echo Park is important for Asian Americans for it holds the Asian American annual festival called “The Lotus Festival.” This is the largest Asian American Festival in Los Angeles city that is held every July each year for the last 33 years.

Asians and Filipino Americans started the Lotus Festival with a picnic. From then on it became the Asian-American community Festival held in Echo Park every July in time for Lotus flowers to bloom. Echo Park Lake is also the largest bed of Lotus flowers in the United States.

But this the Lotus Festival according to some cannot still be held because the park, although will be open on June 15 has to make some improvements like the laying of grass. And so the 33rd Lotus Festival maybe held next year, July 2014.

More Improvements in Echo Park

How is the city going to protect its investment in the park and its pristine grounds? Some residents have raised concern about the return of vendors and a swap meet hat once spilled across the park grounds shortly before the park was closed to the public for the clean up.

Mike Shull, assistant general manager for the city’s Recreation and Parks Department, said “ the city has not allocated any additional funding for park maintenance.

In fact, Shull said the park might prove less costly to maintain given the new landscaping, irrigation system, walk ways and lighting systems.” Shull said he expects that the city’s laws on vending would be enforced in the park.

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