Wednesday, July 07, 2010 Contact: Sean Oblack (202) 225-4176 Schiff Secures Funding for Improvements to Charles White Park Washington, DC – Today, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) announced that $300,000 is included in the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations bill for Los Angeles County’s Department of Parks and Recreation to help make improvements to Charles White Park.    "This funding will help Charles White Park improve the quality of life for families in our community by providing a place to play, gather and socialize," Rep. Schiff said.  "Improvements to this park are essential and long overdue. I'm very pleased that we are on the cusp of a major upgrade of this open space."  Rep. Schiff has put a spotlight on the need to make substantial improvements to the bare-bones facility that is currently Charles White Park. In 2009, he secured $190,000 for the LA County Department of Parks and Recreation to conduct a feasibility study to determine what improvements should be made to the park to better serve local residents. The completed feasibility report recommended five new recreation opportunities for community residents, including a group picnic area, basketball court, walking path and a series of exercise stations.  LA County’s Department of Parks and Recreation has applied for grants at the local and state level to match the federal funds included in the THUD Appropriation bill to complete the recommendations of the study. “We are very excited to hear that funding for Charles White Park has been approved by the Appropriations Subcommittee,” said LA County Parks and Recreation Director Russ Guiney.  “Congressman Adam Schiff has been a strong supporter of the Altadena community and provided previous funds to support planning for the park. In that process, community members identified improvements they would like to see such as a picnic shelter, shade structures and a walking path.  These funds will help make these improvements happen and in the process will provide jobs during construction.  This is all important in transforming a grassy area to a first-class community park.”