LOS ANGELES, CA – Today, LA County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis, First District, accepted two federal grant checks on behalf of LA County from U.S. Representative Grace F. Napolitano, California’s 32nd Congressional District, for two community projects in the San Gabriel Valley.
Last month the U.S. Senate passed the Federal Fiscal Year 2022 omnibus spending bill which included $1.5 million for the MacLaren Community Park Project in the City of El Monte and $1.5 million for the San Gabriel Valley Aquatic Center in unincorporated La Puente ─ two projects that Supervisor Solis has spearheaded since taking office to represent the First District. The allocations were a result of Congresswoman Napolitano’s advocacy to improve the quality of life of San Gabriel Valley residents.
“Access to parks and aquatics are a matter of public health and social equity,’ said Supervisor Solis. Since taking office, I have worked tirelessly to jump-start these projects in partnership with the community – including authoring several funding motions with resources from the County. However, the leadership demonstrated by Congresswoman Napolitano to prioritize the MacLaren Community Park Project and the San Gabriel Valley Aquatic Center in the omnibus spending bill will help us close the funding gaps and finally be able to meet the recreational needs for community members.”
Today’s ceremonial check presentations mark another step toward making both projects a reality. The total anticipated costs for McLaren Community Park are estimated to be $30.7 million and $33.7 million for the San Gabriel Valley Aquatic Center, with the County of Los Angeles committing $22.7 million and $20.7 million for each project respectively. Both projects are now fully funded and ready for contract solicitations – with groundbreakings set to take place next year.
“We thank Supervisor Solis, the City of El Monte, and local residents for advocating for these important community projects in our region,” said Congresswoman Napolitano. “The Biden Administration and the Congress have worked together to deliver this much-needed funding to the San Gabriel Valley. These park projects will provide state of the art amenities for recreational and educational opportunities for generations to come.”
MacLaren Hall Community Park Project
From the 1960s until the early 2000s, MacLaren Hall operated as a County facility housing youth in foster care in a reprehensible way that we will be working to heal for generations to come. In 2019, Supervisor Solis and the City of El Monte initiated efforts to right the wrongs of MacLaren Hall and engage community members in shaping a new vision for open space at the MacLaren Hall site. The MacLaren Community Park Project will consist of several amenities on 4.99 acres, including two soccer fields, a softball diamond, basketball court, tennis court, a walking path, convenient parking, restrooms, picnic areas, shade structures, outdoor classroom/performance space, ecological/sustainability educational features, children’s play areas, exercise stations, water feature, security, and field lighting, and other accessory or support uses.
Address: 4024 Durfee Ave, El Monte, CA 91732
San Gabriel Valley Aquatic Center
Located in the heart of the unincorporated community of West Puente Valley, the San Gabriel Valley Aquatic Center Project will serve the most vulnerable residents of the unincorporated communities of the San Gabriel Valley who are in very high need of aquatic facilities based on an assessment of swimming pools per capita, park need, and various social and demographic factors. The vision of this multi-benefit project not only includes the development of a LEED-
Address: 635 N California Ave, La Puente, CA 91744
