Signal Tribune Newspaper

Councilwoman Rae Gabelich, Long Beach 8th District, taking part in the demolition

BY NICK DIAMANTIDES
Staff Writer

A group of about 25 people gathered in North Long Beach on Tuesday morning to watch the beginning of the total destruction of a dilapidated building. The onlookers laughed, cheered and clapped their hands as community activists and city officials took turns smashing sledgehammers into the stucco walls for a few minutes. Shortly afterwards, a huge skip loader, operated in turn by three city officials, smashed into the building’s walls. Eventually, nothing but a pile of rubble remained where the long-vacant old church building once stood.
The Long Beach Redevelopment Agency (RDA) purchased the approximately 3.5-acre site for $5.1 million last November to convert it into a new park. The parcel, located at 4951 Oregon Avenue, will feature soccer fields and open space for recreational activities.
Early in the demolition of the building, the skip loader was operated in turn by: Craig Beck, the city’s director of development services and RDA executive director; Eighth District Councilwoman Rae Gabelich; and Amy Bodek, redevelopment bureau manager.
“It’s pretty exciting to be here to talk about a new park that is going to be built for this community, which is really underserved for parks,” Beck said. “We have been working closely with the community and, in particularly, the council office to bring this park to fruition.” Beck pointed out that the rundown building and the unkempt land were eyesores to the area. “We really look to not only clean up the property from being a blight in the community but actually turning it around and activating it as park space,” he said. “We love to celebrate these things. It’s kind of fun to do a little demo party and show the renewal that is occurring in our community.”
Beck thanked all the city officials who worked together on the acquisition of the property and its dedication as a city park, but he gave special praise to Gabelich, saying that none of this would have been possible without her leadership. “We call her Rae the destroyer,” he said. jokingly. “She says she has taken down building three or four times and by now she could do it as a side job.” He was referring to the fact that Gabelich has operated bulldozers in several other RDA-sponsored building demolitions.
Laughing, Gabelich said she enjoyed being part of the effort to demolish blighted buildings. She thanked the RDA board for approving the purchase of the site and its conversion to a city park. “It’s been a blighted site ever since the church left,” she said. “It has been a graffiti target, but I understand it’s going to have three soccer fields with a connection to the river link project.”
She added that the park will enhance the neighborhood, improve the area’s quality of life, and provide a place where kids can recreate.
Beck noted that the park is only one of the projects undertaken by the RDA to revitalize North Long Beach.” I look forward to seeing this park get built out,” he said. “We are really working closely with the parks department to get this fast-tracked.” He explained that the city has some preliminary design concepts that officials will soon be sharing with the community for input. “Hopefully, in no time we will be here cutting the green ribbon, so to speak, and opening a new park for North Long Beach,” he said.
RDA Chair Bill Baker said that, according to letters he received from the parks department, the City of Long Beach has no dedicated soccer fields. He noted, however, that plans are underway to develop several soccer fields in various locations in the city, including the site on Oregon Avenue. “I am so happy that our board is park conscious,” he said. “This city needs every bit of open space it can get. Fortunately, we had the money, and the property became available.”
Baker noted that the new park will connect to the planned river parkway, which city officials hope will provide uninterrupted green space along the Los Angeles River from the ocean to the northern edge of the city. “In about eight or ten years, you will never recognize this area,” Baker said. He thanked all the community activists and organizations that also worked hard to move the park project forward. “All of them support neighborhood improvement and here you have it,” he said. “Now let us tear this thing down.” At that point several people picked up sledgehammers and began swinging at the building.
After the small crowd left, National Demolition, the company under contract with the RDA, finished tearing down the building.