MALIBU—On Saturday, October 2, the city of Malibu opened Legacy Park, the city’s newest park. The park brings together the city’s $50 million commitment to create a park that also protects its surrounding ocean’s water, as well as the health and well being of the 13,000 residents and 15 million tourists who visit Malibu’s beaches and mountains every year.
The land used to create Legacy Park was taken from 15 acres of land located within the heart of the city and transformed into a central park. The park’s use of storm water and urban water runoff is one of the most innovative in the state.
The new park makes Malibu the only city in California to have built three storm water treatment facilities, and aids greatly in helping the city to capture storm water for treatment and use. The park is able to take in up to 2.6 million gallons of water daily to treat and disinfect it.
The park features recreation space for sports as well as environmental education in the form of a learning center, outdoor classrooms, a cultural interpretive center and information kiosks, which help to provide information about the parks native coastal habitats, wildlife and plants.
Malibu Mayor Jefferson Wagner spoke at the opening ceremonies and stressed the importance of the park as a green space for future generations to come. “This one-of-a-kind park in the heart of Malibu creates a legacy of ocean protection and environmental conservation for generations to come,” said Mayor Wagner. “The community came together to raise the money to purchase the land for Legacy Park, preserve it as open space and transform it into an innovative project that will improve ocean water quality and protect public health. We thank all of the supporters, donors, City Council and City staff who made this celebration possible today through their dedication to creating this vital legacy.”
Funding for the park was made possible by individual donors who contributed more than $2.4 million and the Annenberg Foundation who set up a $2 million matching grant for the new park. Other organizations who helped fund the remaining $50 million include Santa Monica Community College, the State Water Resources Control Board, Los Angeles County’s Proposition A, MTA Proposition C, the City of Malibu, the Solid Waste Management Fund, Parkland Development and Certificates of Participation provided by the city of Malibu.
The park is near other tourist attractions such as the Malibu Pier, Adamson House and the Malibu Bluffs. For more information about Legacy Park, please visit malibulegacy.org/
