The park design was by the ValleyCrest Design Group lead by landscape architect Jim Hellinger, ASLA. "Our primary goal was to create a welcoming park for the local kids," said Mr. Hellinger. The park includes a playground, picnic area, soccer field and barbeques.
It's estimated what ValleyCrest accomplished in a day would have probably taken the city five years and cost tax payers about a half-million dollars. In this case, no tax dollars were consumed.
"As a business resident of the San Fernando Valley for the past six decades, we thought this was the perfect location to donate our time and resources and build the residents of Sylmar their new park," explained ValleyCrest President Richard Sperber.
When the work was accomplished Telfair Avenue was closed to traffic and a block party ensued, with the kids enjoying balloons, face painting and arts and crafts.
Mr. Sperber was joined by Calif. State Senator Alex Padilla and Jim Combs, assistant general manager of L.A. Parks and Recreation for a naming ceremony, unveiling a plaque that named the new park--"ValleyCrest Telfair Park."
"It is inspiring to see what can be accomplished in the span of one day," marveled Senator Padilla. "This is an incredible example of a company and its employees stepping up, reaching out and making a difference in the lives of local residents."
"We hope that we've created an innovative model with this project that can be emulated by other companies in other cities throughout the region," said Mr. Sperber. "This was a really rewarding experience for ValleyCrest and such a dramatic transformation for the community. Judging by the success of this project, there really is no telling what we might accomplish during our next annual meeting!"
Source: ValleyCrest
