Byline: Eric Wahlgren Daily News Staff Writer
One day, cyclists may be able to hop on their bikes at the Los Angeles River's source in Canoga Park and pedal alongside the wash for 51 miles before it flows into the Pacific Ocean in Long Beach.
The riverside bike path, which is the centerpiece of the Los Angeles River Master Plan approved by the County Board of Supervisors in June, may take half a century to complete.
But flush with millions in public money raised by recent ballot measures, Los Angeles and other county cities are gearing up to beautify the mostly concrete-lined waterway, making it a recreational destination.
``We want the river to serve as a corridor that would unite communities,'' said Cynthia D'Agosta, a landscape architect, and one of the people behind a cooperative effort to implement the county's master plan. ``We have lost a river here, basically. It is encased, channelized and doesn't serve the community in the same cultural way that a river does in other communities. People will be able to engage in all sorts of recreational activities, including walking and biking.''
The Los Angeles River Master Plan presentation is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. today in the main conference room of the Sherman Oaks Hospital and Health Center, 4929 Van Nuys Blvd.
D'Agosta is among Los Angeles River advocates who will discuss possibilities for enhancements along the San Fernando Valley stretches of the waterway.
City Councilman Michael Feuer lobbied for $10 million to be set aside for river improvements in Proposition K, a ballot measure passed by voters in November for $771 in city parks and recreation projects.
Some of the proposed river enhancements in the Valley include planting native vegetation along the waterway, connecting a small stretch of bike path in Griffith Park to the Sepulveda Basin and improving flood-control sites.
``In (Feuer's) district, there is not the opportunity to acquire a lot of additional land,'' said Sharon Mayer, Feuer's chief field deputy. ``This river area is already public land. It would be an opportunity to enjoy a different atmosphere than exists now.''
Although enhancements are proposed for Sherman Oaks and Studio City, the river passes through many Valley communities where work might also be done, including Winnetka, Reseda, Encino and Toluca Lake.
Proposition A, a county parks improvement measure, also passed in November, making an additional $12 million available for river enhancements in county areas.
The Los Angeles River Master Plan is perhaps the first attempt among various cities and agencies to come up with a universal guideline for how to make the best use of the waterway, which begins at the confluence of Bell Creek and Arroyo Calabasas in Canoga Park.
The county Public Works Department, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, and the cities of Los Angeles, Bell Gardens and Long Beach are among agencies and communities involved in the long-term effort.
It could take more than 50 years to complete the transformation that planners envision along the 51-mile stretch, where parks and trees would soften the look of the mainly channelized river.
