SKATING & GRINDING, SLIDING & SWINGING

Dedication of Westchester Skate Plaza & Playground

Westchester - The Department of Recreation and Parks (RAP) dedicated our 17th skate facility at Westchester Recreation Center on Friday, July 22, 2011. RAP's Commission President Barry A. Sanders and General Manager Jon Kirk Mukri were joined by Councilmember Bill Rosendahl (11th Distict), Charles Annenberg Weingarten and professional skateboarders Eric Koston and Steve Berra to officially open the and dedicate the Westchester "Explore.org/ The Berrrics" Skate Plaza along with a new accessible playground and other park improvements.

The new 9,700-square-foot skate plaza was made possible through RAP funding and a $125,000 grant from the Annenberg Foundation's Explore.org, a non-profit capacity building initiative. Westchester's "Explore.org/The Berrics" Skate Plaza was built by California Skateparks and features a variety of elements such as stair sets, rails and hubbas and is designed for hardcore street skating. Professional Skateboarders Luan Oliviera, David Gonzales, Curren Caples, Kurtis Colamonico and Braydon Szfranski were all on hand to test out the plaza, along with tons of local and not so local skaters. The opening of the new state-of-the-art skate plaza brought out skaters from as far as Carson City, Nevada.

The celebration also included something for the kiddies. A new sea-themed accessible playground was dedicated. The limitless playground features swings, slides and interactive elements for children of all abilities. The Westchester project also included the relocation of the park's outdoor basketball court, a newly designed park entry way, improvements to the recreation center, irrigation and landscaping.

Westchester Park is located at 7000 West Manchester Blvd, Los Angeles 90045.

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