Renewed Respect Due for Old Park

After years of neglect, revitalization work at Hillcrest Park, a historic landmark, will begin in the fall. The park, which opened in 1924, was considered the city’s premiere landmark until the 1960s, said Greg Meek, Fullerton’s park development coordinator.

“A lot of people were living in the park and taking baths in the duck pond during the hippie era, which was the turning point when people decided that the park was not safe for children,” Meek said.

Today, fears about safety remain. “The park has become rundown, and the public is no longer using it,” Meek said.

In an effort to get more people to use the 40-acre park, the city earlier this month adopted a master plan that calls for easier access, construction of pedestrian, horse and bicycle trails, a picnic area, more parking, restoration of a historic fountain and reconstruction of the duck pond.

The plan’s upgrades are estimated to cost $4 million, and completion may take decades. City officials last year hired landscape architects to study the park, develop the plan and hold public hearings. After a number of hearings, during which residents expressed their concerns and ideas for the park, the plan was adopted in concept by the City Council.

The council will hold more public hearings on major projects, including the fountain restoration and duck pond reconstruction.

Minor projects, including pruning trees and replacing dead ones, removal of some bushes and stabilizing and rebuilding walls and roads, will begin this fall.

Also, recreational programs will be offered to increase park use, Meek said.