Rennovation Begins at MacArthur Park

The following post was from Jim Ruggirello at the Cultural Center of MacArthur Park on Next Door: "The long-awaited and much-needed renovation of the main building at MacArthur Park, the home of Homeland Cultural Center, will begin Monday, September 28. The entire building will be shut down for a week for asbestos abatement. During that time some classes will be held in the Manazar Gamboa Theater, others will be cancelled. After that, work will begin on the room that used to house the Mark Twain Library and most of our regular schedule will resume. The entire project, including work on the rest of the building, the playground, and the restrooms, should be complete by the end of the year."

At the 6th and 7th District Budget meeting earlier this year Andrews stated that there should be enough money left over to renovate the restrooms. Bare in mind, the entire budget for this project was provided by the state of California. The City of Long Beach is not contributing to the restoration of MacArthur Park. I would encourage all neighborhood residents to visit all nearby parks. It is very eye-opening to see how much money the city will invest in the neighborhoods where Central Long Beach residents do not live. Compare the civic center at Drake Park to the one at MacArthur Park. Compare the condition of the streets in Bellmont Heights to the conditions anywhere in Central Long Beach. What you will quickly learn, is for Central Long Beach it's a battle to get a pothole filled, a tree trimmed or a mattress picked up. In Bellmont Heights, the city will build what is nearly a billion dollar pool.