In a unanimous vote this week, the Los Angeles Board of Public Works authorized funds to begin the design process for a long-stalled project to overhaul the Hollenbeck Park Lake in Boyle Heights.
A total of $5,407,600 has been designated for engineering and construction firm CDM Smith to begin the design process for the Hollenbeck Park Lake Rehabilitation. Funds will also be used for community outreach and engagement throughout the design and construction phases of the project.
According to Senior Civil Engineer Brian Powell with the Bureau of Engineers’ Clean Water Division, a final design for the project is anticipated in the fall of 2027, with construction slated to begin in spring 2028 and be completed by summer 2030. The total estimated cost for the project is $38,636,000, Powell said.
Vivian Escalante, president and CEO of Boyle Heights Community Partners, says the news is long overdue.
“The project has fallen through the cracks so many times, but we’ve continued to fight for it to get back on track because Hollenbeck Park is such a special place,” said Escalante, who also serves on the Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council and Hollenbeck Park Advisory Board.
“We’re hoping it can be expedited.”
An initial proposal on the Hollenbeck Park Lake Rehabilitation in 2016 estimated the project would cost $33,852,586, with a preliminary estimate to begin construction of park improvements in October 2018.
Plans later shifted to start what was anticipated to be a year-long construction in September 2019.
Some aspects of the project did begin with small aesthetic improvements across the park, but some funds expected to begin construction were delayed, according to reporting by The Eastsider. Councilmember Kevin de León announced in April of 2023 that the funds had finally been secured to get the project rolling.
According to Powell, current plans for the project include:
- Improved systems to capture and infiltrate stormwater runoff, reducing localized flooding
- Trees and other greenery will be planted in the park and along nearby street corridors
- Additional diversion structures, pump stations and underground storage tanks
- Over 10,000 square feet of porous pavement and bioswales
- A special lining to address erosion around the lake’s edge
- Clean-up of sediment at the bottom of the lake
- Improved water treatment system at the park