It's finally here! After years of delays and canceled plans, on Wednesday October 10, 2012 we celebrated completion of the crucial Tesla Avenue stretch of the Silver Lake Jogging Path. It's an important safety improvement we're glad to finally see completed. LADWP, City Councilmembers Eric Garcetti and Tom LaBonge, Assembly member Mike Gatto and the Silver Lake Reservoirs Conservancy were on hand to cut the ribbon.
It's been a long path to get here, beginning 12 years ago with the Silver Lake Master Plan, which included the entire Reservoir Path and the highly successful Silver Lake Meadow. Together, these beautiful additions to the neighborhood have been transformative, as they've literally changed the lives of thousands of residents who enjoy healthy exercise and relaxation as they run, walk and play with their families.
Tesla Avenue was a challenging project. Over three years ago, an elevated boardwalk was proposed, but it met community opposition from the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council and others. Path users were forced into the narrow street as the Conservancy, Council Districts and DWP worked to achieve a practical solution. The safety issues became critical when a jogger was injured by an automobile earlier this year. Finally, approval from state authorities to notch out a section of the Ivanhoe Reservoir dam was granted, and this summer DWP crews began construction.
Working together with DWP, we've been able to build more than just a safer path, including a new pocket park under a shady grove of Olive trees, with drinking fountains and rest benches. At the corner of West Silver Lake Drive, a safer wide corner on the path was added, with a new rest bench.
All in all, it's a perfect example of how the community and public agencies can work together to build a terrific solution to a pressing need. And it's testament to the importance of the Reservoirs as part of the public trust. That's how William Mulholland envisioned our water system when he built it one hundred years ago, and it's a model for our next one hundred years.
What's next? We still need a separate path from all the traffic around the Silver Lake Recreation Center. We're glad to help bring about a demonstration Native Plant Garden, sponsored by Theodore Payne Native Plant Society and the Neighborhood Council. And there's much bigger plans in the works for the future of the Reservoirs, which we'll be bringing to you as they're developed. For now, get out there and enjoy the path!
