Скачать или смотреть Re-elect Councilwoman Ruth Low - Welcomed 2 Brand New Parks at No Cost to Residents!

As your Mayor, in 2018, we welcomed Larkstone Park to our strengthening system of parks and trails at NO cost to residents. Just as it was the case with Diamond Canyon Park, Larkstone is representative of what can be accomplished with a strong public-private partnership. This is what smart growth looks like and what you can expect with another 4 years of my leadership.

As your neighbor and as a Councilwoman, I continue to be mindful of the delicate balance between the economic and housing needs of our city and the open space and park land needs of our residents. During my tenure, the City of Diamond Bar has fully reopened Sycamore Canyon Park, we expanded our park system with the addition of 2 new parks, Larkstone and Diamond Canyon, updated and refurbished 2 existing parks, Longview and Starshine, and secured parkland acreage in anticipation of a future park connecting our YMCA to the Little League Fields. With the purchase of the Sunset Crossing acreage, the Council does have a forward-vision and commitment to expanding the park space we offer to the community; we listened and we want to deliver. While currently in the rendering and planning stage, if re-elected, I look forward to being involved in the final phases once funding is secured.

Allow me to highlight two additional park projects that I am most proud of, the Sycamore Canyon Trailhead and Diamond Canyon Park:

As you may recall, the Sycamore Canyon Trailhead and slopes were devastated by torrential rains and floods in 2017. Initially, FEMA only wanted to offer assistance in the amount of $170,000. However, after a great deal of negotiation, persistence and excellent work by city staff and Council, I am proud to report that FEMA's contribution increased to 93% of the total expense of this project, or about $1.2 million. Meaning, that out of an approximately $1,290,322.58 total cost, Diamond Bar's General Fund and you, the taxpayer, only bore about $90,322.58 of the remediation and upgrade burden. If you have visited Sycamore Canyon Park since November 5, 2019, you have seen that a great deal of engineering went into ensuring the safety and longevity of this well-loved and heavily utilized amenity.

In regards to Diamond Canyon Park, I had the privilege of being involved as a, then, Planning Commissioner and as your elected Councilwoman. The City was presented with the opportunity to add a new market-value community to our housing stocks. As part of this development, the city negotiated the addition of a new public park to the developer's scope of work. In just three short years we, the community, Council and developer, were able to transform an unattractive and underutilized flood control channel to the public space you now enjoy. The speed at which this park was developed is quite remarkable. While it may take a city, on its own, nearly 2 decades to secure funding and land for a new park, we were able to achieve an amazing product in a mere fraction of time and, most importantly, at no cost to Diamond Bar taxpayers. This is a perfect example of a positive public-private partnership.

As your Councilwoman, moving forward, my priorities include maintaining and maximizing the exceptional quality and safety of our parks, playgrounds and recreational amenities.