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Work is underway at two Little League fields affected by the Eaton Fire, and the restoration is in part thanks to the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation.
Loma Alta Park in Altadena, home to the Central Altadena Little League, has been shut down since the Eaton Fire in January.
“We’re going to make sure that our kids have a place to play and an outlet to be able to come and kind of have a sense of normalcy,” said Phillip Pollerana, who played in the little league as a kid and is now the president.
Pollerana lost his home in the Eaton Fire and said that more than 200 young displaced athletes were welcomed by surrounding leagues.
When Pollerana heard that the Dodgers Foundation would be helping restore the fields, he said he smiled but also felt survivor’s guilt knowing that families in the community have not brought their children back home yet.
Although the fields will soon be open, the lots around the field remain empty.
“It’s not just a safe space,” said Nichol Whiteman, the LA Dodgers Foundation CEO. “It’s not just, we call them outdoor classrooms. Again, it’s part of folks really feeling like there’s energy and things that are happening around here.”
There will be two dream fields at the park serving kids ages five to 12 years old. From the dirt to the sod, fencing, and a scoreboard similar to the one at Dodger Stadium, these fields will be a nod to Altadena’s future, rooted in its past.
“We want to have foresight in this rebuilding process,” Pollerana said. “And this is one of the jewels that will be here to kind of give us that vision of how we want to see our community bigger and better and brighter.”
The project has been accelerated to be complete by May 17, which is “closing day” for the little league season that’s already in full swing.
The league is planning a party, symbolizing a moment to begin again.
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