Strategic Asset Management Plans (SAMP): Los Angeles County, California

SERVICES USED ON THIS PROJECT INCLUDE:
	Environmental Compliance		Resource Management

Sapphos Environmental, Inc. was retained by the County of Los Angeles (County) Chief Executive Office (CEO) to complete a comprehensive Parks Needs Assessment for the entire County. The Parks Needs Assessment was undertaken to assist the CEO, in close consultation with the County Department of Parks and Recreation, to determine the true condition of the County’s park and recreation facilities and programs so that a realistic plan could be embarked on to bolster areas of strength and to ameliorate areas of need. The Parks Needs Assessment resulted in an updated Parks Facilities and Areas of Jurisdiction, Strategic Asset Management Plan (SAMP), and a digital photographic and video record of all County parks and recreation facilities.

The park facility inventory required the development of a geographic information systems (GIS) database for County park resources. Each of the 108 existing County park facilities—exclusive of the Hollywood Bowl Performing Arts Regional County Park, John Anson Ford Amphitheater, and any of the County Golf Courses—were mapped in detail at large scale using existing computer-aided design (CAD) drawings and/or high-resolution aerial imagery. Another GIS-based component to the project was a demographic analysis for future parks needs based on a 20-year horizon. Sapphos Environmental, Inc. worked in conjunction with the County of Los Angeles Office of Urban Research to integrate population projections and ethnic distribution into the census tract and block geography. This analysis allowed the County to develop accurate parks facility needs assessments based on future population growth.

The SAMP document included sections on the park assessment; the 5-, 10-, and 20-year strategic plan; and the geological setting, climate and topography, flora and fauna, and regional cultural history.

The Parks Needs Assessment identified recommendations to upgrade and expand facilities and programs to meet the diverse needs of County residents and visitors consistent with the County of Los Angeles General Plan. The assessment also identified and made recommendations for additional park amenities and open space that would be required to meet public demand, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility, and accommodation of recreation programs and potential community meetings over a planning horizon of 20 years.

Sapphos Environmental, Inc. assisted the CEO with development of specific goals and objectives for the Park Needs Assessment. These goals and objectives seek to implement the goals established in the General Plan, namely, to provide facilities and programs that meet the diverse needs of County residents and visitors. This is particularly timely given the substantial cultural and demographic changes that have occurred within the County since the plan was last updated in 1992. In addition, state population is expected to grow from the estimated 1998 population of 33,000,000 to 60,000,000 in 2040. The projected population growth will result in a corresponding demand for passive and active recreation facilities and programs. Defined objectives include provision of passive and active recreation facilities and programs consistent with General Plan guidelines; optimization of park accessibility and use through adoption of a Countywide sign program; identification of opportunities to link County Park facilities to existing and anticipated regional trail facilities; analysis of security lighting, alarm systems, video surveillance, signs, fencing, and gates and incorporation of principles from the Los Angeles County Community Development Commission, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Crime Prevention through Environmental Design notebook, and the Family Safety Program; and incorporation of information provided by the CEO’s structural and hazardous materials consultants.