Los Angeles County Grant Aids Parks

Creation of a new pocket park and planning for a historic park will benefit from a $600,000 Los Angeles County grant.

The Long Beach City Council accepted the money Tuesday night from the Los Angeles County Regional Park and Open Space District. The agency oversees spending from the two Proposition A county park bonds passed by voters in 1992 and 1996.

The pocket park will be built in the Wrigley Heights area near the Los Angeles River and the 405 Freeway.

The grant will provide $500,000 for that project — the entire anticipated cost for the Baker/Golden Mini Park.

The other $100,000 of the grant will go toward design and Phase I costs for the Rosie the Riveter Park at Clark Avenue and Conant Street. The Parks, Recreation and Marine Department expects to spend $115,000 this year working on that development — the other $15,000 already is in the department’s capital projects fund.

Currently, the land at Clark and Conant is turf and a few trees.

It once was known as McDonnell Douglas Park, but the name was changed last year at the request of Fifth District Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske.

Schipske has since formed a task force to create a historically-focused park honoring the World War II workers — mostly female — at nearby McDonnell Douglas Aircraft (now Boeing). A task force meeting is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. tonight (Thursday) at the Parks and Recreation administration building, 2760 Studebaker Rd.

— Harry Saltzgaver