How the Project Came to Be

To honor the multi-layered history of Sleepy Lagoon, the Sleepy Lagoon Memorial project team, Tongva cultural bearers, community members, and stakeholders developed a memorial that offers threefold benefits: it will function as a greenspace, be reflective of community needs, and improve the environment.

Selecting Maywood Riverfront Park

The project team led a series of community engagement opportunities to develop the details of the memorial. Participants were asked to identify a location for the memorial from ten candidate sites, design their ideal memorial, identify project priorities, and received education on the Tongva community. From this process Maywood Riverfront Park was selected as the site to house the memorial. Community members and stakeholders believed the park would be the safest option for public enjoyment and for meeting the recreational needs of locals.

Landscape
Improvements

New planting and irrigation would improve the existing swale’s ability to conduct water to storm drains. Improvements would also serve to filter stormwater coming from the well-used recreational areas by reducing run-off speed, trapping sediment and screening trash. The valuable existing park features used for recreation and exercise will be preserved.

Native Landscaping

The living memorial planted in the swale will depend on a framework of dependable woody shrubs. Additions to this will include shrubs, annuals, grasses, imparting a finer level of detail and interesting forms. In addition to being California native plants, the plantings will be those that are useful and meaningful to Tongva people. Below is a list of potential plants that will be incorporated into the monument. Wherever possible, English, Spanish and Tongvan names of plants are provided.

Narrow-leaf Milkweed / Wiivor / Algodoncillo
*Asclepias fascicularis*

Milkweed blooms in clusters of lavender or lavender-like colors. Milkweed is an important host plant for Monarch butterflies. It grows up to 3’ tall and 1’ wide. Requires full sun and low to moderate water. Water 2x month during summer after establishment.

California poppies / Makaacha / Amapola de California
*Eschscholzia c*
***alifornica***

**California poppies are native to grassy areas and open space. It is tough, fast growing, drought tolerant, self seeding, and easy to grow. Requires full sun and has very low watering needs.**

California Buckwheat / Wilákal / Maderista
*Eriogonum fasciculatum*

Grows on scrubby slopes and chaparral settings. Leaves and flowers grow in clusters. Tough, easy to grow and requires very little water. produces pink/white colored flowers that turn a beautiful rust color when soil dries. A must-have for sage scrub gardens. Low growing, and extends to 3’ in width.

White Sage / Paa’or Rawaata / Salvia Blanca
*Salvia apiana*

Sacred sage. very fragrant, produces white/silver flowers. Deeply connected to the Tongva, and only grows in Southern California and the Baja regions. Grows 3-5’ high and up to 8’ in width. Does best in full sun, very low watering needs, with watering 1x a month once established. Endangered by sage harvesters for smudging.

**Lemonade Berry / Soorax /**
Saladito
*Rhus integrifolia*

Evergreen shrub. Can grow into a small tree, but stays closer to the ground near the coast. Has green, leathery leaves, small flowers, and produces bright red berries, which indigenous communities used to make lemonade. Lemonade Berry’s berries are important source of food for wildlife.

Coyote Brush / Arbusto del Coyote
*Baccharis pilularis*

Common coastal shrub. Important habitat for local wildlife. Tolerates summer watering and has very low water requirements. Grows 1-10’ tall, with varieties available that offer different heights. spreads profusely, does well in sun and part shade.

**Deer Grass / Zacate de Venado**
***Muhlenbergia rigens***

Dense, bushy grass with leaves that grow as needles that can reach up to 3’ height. Grows up to 4’ wide. Reaches maturity in 1-2 years and is easy to grow. Low water requirements, handles summer watering well and can do well in full shade, will only grow more slowly.

Stormwater Management

The project team is currently looking into options for stormwater capture, with a purpose “to utilize stormwater capture for infiltration or beneficial re-use within the park.” The project site plan detailing potential stormwater capture work developed by DakeLuna Consultants and Carollo Engineers, is shown above. The preliminary design includes bio retention opportunities within the existing drainage swale, and will incorporate art features, native vegetation and trees, and contemplative seating areas. This could improve water quality or augment scarce water supplies in LA County by offsetting potable water demand at the park by infiltration or treatment of stormwater. Further engineering analysis is needed to fully evaluate the possibilities. A water component to the project is essential, as the memorial site is adjacent to the Los Angeles River. East Yard, as part of its work around water, supports sustainable development when it comes to stormwater and public space projects.

To learn more about sustainable development as it relates to stormwater projects & the Lower LA River, follow the link below to the community stabilization toolkit.

https://lowerlariver.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Community-Stabilization-Toolkit.pdf

From Concept to Reality: Next Steps

Thanks to robust community engagement, a fully developed concept design, and initial technical information on the site, the project is in a good place for implementation. The project however, still needs to meet significant milestones.

City Approval

(Completed)

The Sleepy Lagoon Memorial project has been approved by the City of Maywood! Efforts to make the Sleepy Lagoon Memorial a reality will be combined with park improvement efforts led by Communities for a Better Environment (CBE) through Measure A.

Review of Hazardous Waste Agreements

(Pending)

Past agreements or permits created to provide for cleanup of hazardous conditions at site before the park was installed should be reviewed by all parties early in the design process. Community safety from environmental contamination and pollution is crucial and was a determinant factor in selecting Riverfront Park as the memorial location.

Construction Management

(Pending)

An agreement between the city and project managers will be needed describing how construction will be managed. topics common in public works construction include:

construction specifications.
prevailing wage rules.
how liability insurance will be structured.
how shop drawings will be reviewed.
how owner provided work will be managed.
acceptance of final construction.

Stormwater Diversion Project Estimate

(Pending)

An engineering analysis will be needed to fully evaluate the potential for diversion and recycling and to establish a cost-effective size for that structure.