Long Beach officials, children and community members celebrated the reopening of the newly renovated Scherer Park Community Center with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday, August 14.
Renovations included improvements to the park’s community center, restrooms and parking lot (4600 Long Beach Blvd.), which also improved ADA accessibility so more community members can enjoy Scherer Park.
“This is an important park for so many people who live in and around North Long Beach and Bixby Knolls,” Mayor Rex Richardson said at the ceremony. “We look forward to continuing to invest in community centers like this because it means so much to people.”
Children from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Long Beach and the YMCA of Greater Long Beach, as well as Council Member Al Austin, Department Supervisors Brent Dennis of Parks, Recreation and Marine and Eric Lopez of the Public Works Department, city staff and community members attended the ceremony outside the center’s main entrance on Wednesday.
“I am so excited about the unveiling of this renovated community center, it has been a centerpiece of this park for a very long time,” said Austin, who represents the Eighth District where the park is located. “It will add an asset, a feature and a character to this wonderful park.”
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The Scherer Park Community Center project included new windows, doors, electrical, lighting, roofing, HVAC, painting, and color graphics and signage on the exterior.
The park’s restrooms received new partitions, interior and exterior lighting for greater safety, new slats for better air circulation and a new drinking fountain, according to a press release.
Dennis and Lopez also talked about future improvements at Scherer Park, including a new playground that is part of the city’s Elevate 28 infrastructure investment plan. They also reiterated Long Beach’s commitment to improving parks across the city and thanked city staff who made the renovation of the Scherer Park Community Center possible.
In 2023, the city held four community meetings to gather ideas and input for future developments like Scherer Park. In October 2023, construction began on the project. And after three years of community involvement, planning, design and construction, it was completed last month, according to the city’s website.
The $2.2 million project was largely funded by Measure A and California Assembly Bill 32, with additional support from the city’s Elevate 28 plan. Funding was approved by the City Council in 2022 and 2023, according to a press release.
Attendees had the opportunity to tour the new features and amenities of the newly renovated community center. At the center, children played foosball and air hockey, painted pictures, and received snacks and school supplies to take home.
“During my tenure as a city council member, we have made expanding green space and parks a high priority,” Austin said, “because we know that this is the foundation of a truly livable community and recreational space is very important to many of our residents.”
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