Mayor's Corner: Busy summer in Downey
Hello Downey! Summer is here, and we have a lot in store. In this month’s Mayor’s Corner, I will share the several events we have for the entire family, an excellent initiative for pet lovers and some exciting programs to get involved in the city.
I will start with several events for the family to attend and take a break from the summer heat. The Twilight Summer Concert Series is still on every Wednesday and will run through July 27. The series features different bands at Furman Park playing a variety of music. Come out and join your neighbors for fun evenings filled with great live music. Also, the pool at Downey High School is open for the Summer Aquatics program. Swimming classes are available for ages six months and up. More information can be found about events and summer programs on the city’s website at downeyca.org.
For all you pet lovers, please share this great initiative for military personnel. Downey has teamed up with the Southeast Area Animal Control Authority (SEAACA) to support our military personnel with an initiative called “Pets 4 Troops”. Pet adoption fees are waived for active duty or retired service men and women. For more information and to view animals who are looking for a forever home, please visit seaaca.org.
For those seeking volunteer opportunities, the Columbia Memorial Space Center is seeking volunteers to join its team for the remainder of the summer and the upcoming fall season. Volunteers learn while working alongside staff and other volunteers. Those who have a passion for science, technology, engineering, or mathematics can have the opportunity to work with the community and form friendships with like-minded people. Please visit www.columbiaspacescience.org/volunteer to learn more and be part of the Space Center’s mission to preserve the history of Downey’s aerospace program.
For our youth seeking volunteer opportunities, we have the Downey Youth Commission, which serves in an advisory capacity to the Downey City Council and comprises of fifteen high school student representatives who reside in the City of Downey. The goals of the Downey Youth Commission are to provide:
Leadership development
Civic and local government education
Youth input to the City Council
Complete annual assignments and priorities from the City Council
To learn how the Downey Youth Commission contributes to our community, please follow them on Instagram @Downey.YC for the latest updates and projects.
The city celebrated groundbreaking events for the Temple Park and Crawford Park Renovations. After years of hard and persistent work by our city staff, we successfully acquired a grant to make this renovation a reality. The funds were made possible by Senate Bill 5, which was created to rehabilitate and improve local parks across the state.
The city received $246,569 to rehabilitate its city parks. The city is committed to building a more vibrant, healthy, prosperous, and sustainable community. We are thrilled to have this project in our city and see the impact it will make for years to come. Thank you again to our city leaders and staff for their hard work.
Also, this month, we celebrated the ribbon cutting of the Rancho Los Amigos Sports Center. The brand-new sports complex will provide much needed recreational opportunities for our region’s youth. It will also encourage and promote economic development and revitalization to enhance the city’s attractiveness to the local and regional marketplace.
The sports complex has three multi-sport fields for soccer, football, and lacrosse. It also includes a 3,000-square-foot building that will house restrooms, concessions, administrative offices, storage, and meeting space. The project would not be possible without the support of Supervisor Janice Hahn, who has been committed to this project and has worked with our city to articulate the vision and design that reflects the needs of our community. The complex and sports fields will be a legacy project that will impact multiple generations. Please visit Downey’s new park at 7651 Gardendale Street, Downey, CA 90242.
I want to end my Mayor’s Corner by thanking everyone for the opportunity to serve as your Mayor. I wish everyone a wonderful summer.
Stay safe and, most importantly, be kind to one another.
Blanca Pacheco
Mayor