MVR Consulting Projects

MVR wrote the successful $3M State grant for the City of Los Angeles to fund the 140-acre Ascot Hills Park in Eastern Los Angeles

“Mayor Breaks Ground on 140-Acre Park: Largest Open Space on LA’s Eastside”

Los Angeles, CA (November 1, 2005) – Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa, Council District 14, the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MCRA), and the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks today hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for Ascot Hills Park, the largest passive park and open space on LA’s Eastside.

In February, then-Councilmember Villaraigosa announced a $3 million state grant had been secured to convert Ascot Hills, located between El Sereno and Hillside Village, into a 140-acre passive park, offering hiking and nature trails, an outdoor learning center for children, as well as open grass areas with trees.

Partnering with the MRCA, a public entity dedicated to the preservation and management of local open space and the group that will manage the new park, Villaraigosa coordinated a grassroots letter-writing campaign that sent thousands of letters to Governor Schwarzenegger. The grant was secured from Proposition 40, the ‘California Clean Air, Clean Water, Safe Neighborhood Parks, and Coastal Protection Act of 2002.’

‘The groundbreaking of this 140-acre park is an historic moment for this community,’ said Mayor Villaraigosa. 'The effort was a great example of what can be accomplished when the community and elected officials work towards a common goal - in this case, preserving green, open space for the public to enjoy.’ “…Until recently, the site has been used by the DWP to train pole climbers and repairmen.”