by Timothy Rutt
There will be two meetings in Pasadena next week to look at a city plan to install a multi-use sports field at John Muir High School, potentially saving the field from being installed at Hahamongna Watershed Park.
The state of California awarded a $1 million grant to Pasadena in 2005, intending it to go to athletic field improvements at Hahamongna. That plan became controversial, as watershed activists objected to the alteration of the park's almost-wild state.
The favored alternative seems to be making improvements to an existing field on the campus of Muir High School. The Pasadena Recreation and Parks Commission will consider proposed sports field improvements at its Tuesday, March 12 meeting. The proposed plan for Muir is to include a full-size soccer field, a reconfigured softball fields, and turf and irrigation work. The plan calls for the fields to be available for public use during non-school hours.
Another public meeting will be held Wednesday, March 13, at the Muir High School auditorium at 6:30 PM. Officials from the Pasadena Unified School District, Pasadena Public Works, and District 1 Councilmember Jacque Robinson will host the meeting to discuss the field improvements.
The City must apply for the transfer of the $1 million grant funds to the Muir High School project. According to a press release from the city of Pasadena, "strong community support is a critical first step in the process."
For questions or additional information regarding the meeting, contact Loren Pluth with Public Works at (626) 744-7329 or by email to lpluth@cityofpasadena.net.
