The unusually hot weather made the replacement of the floor in the small gym sweaty work.
Gym Floor Replacement Underway
The L.A. Clippers organization and Clippers owners Steve and Connie Ballmer made a multi-million-dollar donation to the L.A. Parks Foundation in April. The money was targeted towards renovating nearly 350 basketball courts in city parks by the year 2021.
At a press conference held in the Jim Gilliam Recreation Center in South Los Angeles that was attended by Mayor Eric Garcetti, Ballmer said, “I played basketball growing up and I stunk.
“I may have made one team with a no cut policy back in ninth grade,” he said. “That was it. But, I spent a lot of time on basketball courts. It was a place to hang with friends and chill out.
“I have an emotional tie to this event today. This is special for me in my heart.”
The small and large gyms at Pacific Palisades Rec Center were one of the first areas to benefit from the grant. The floors were in such bad shape that a fundraiser had been proposed in February to raise $75,000 to resurface the floors in the small gym.
That fundraiser became unnecessary when it was discovered the Palisades Recreation Center had more than $90,000 in Quimby funds that it could use towards improvements.
Although that money has not been appropriated, the donation from the Clippers will now take care of the renovation of the small gym, and refurbishment of the larger gym, leaving Quimby money to be spent elsewhere.
Palisades Rec Center Director Erich Haas said “both gyms will be ready and back in business for the fall youth basketball league. The big gym is out of commission from July 7-22 and the small gym from July 7 to August 24.”