By Jay Jackson for Los Angeles Sentinel
Originally published April 1, 2026
“They’re finally getting rid of all that ugly.”
That was Jacqueline Wallace Bates reaction after the ceremonial groundbreaking for the $40 million Slauson Connect Recreation and Education Center in South Central Los Angeles. It’s a 15,000 square foot community center and park on Slauson Avenue between Normandie Avenue and Budlong Avenue that city leaders say will transform the neighborhood Bates has lived in for 40 years.
“I think that’s a great idea. We really need that in this community. Hopefully, they will have educational classes like sewing and teaching them how to cook. Those things will be great for the community.”
The March 28 ceremony capped off a years-long fight to revitalize the graffiti-covered row of industrial businesses and warehouses that have long been seen as an eyesore by residents. District 9 Councilman Curren D. Price Jr., told a gathering of residents, Recreation and Parks leaders, Metro executives, and contractors that the new center will be a source of pride for the neighborhood.
“This connects our community with green space and open space. It’s part of a much broader open space that’s here in CD9. It makes me feel good, but it’s a lot of hard work from a lot of people. We’re really gonna be excited because this is gonna be the crown jewel.”
Once construction on the urban oasis is complete, Slauson Connect will boast a 1.5 acre park, lined with dozens of shade trees and a 3,300-square-foot roof covered with vegetation, gardens, and meditation areas. Inside, a state-of-the-art digital media arts studio will be available for local youth to learn the ins-and-outs of broadcasting, game design, and recorded performance art. For busy moms and dads, the center will also include a childcare facility, along with an expansive community room for meetings, classes, and public/private neighborhood functions. Plus, after-school programs will be available for neighborhood children, with programs ranging from STEM to horticulture.
Jimmy Kim is the general manager of the Los Angeles Recreation & Parks Department. He says the center is one of four parks and facilities that make up a 2-mile stretch of parks, trees, and bike/walking paths called a “Green Corridor,” which includes Senator Bill Greene Memorial Park, Slauson and Wall park, and Augustus F. Hawkins Natural Park. Kim says Slauson Connect fills a gap in the 9th Council District, which has among the fewest parks in the city.
“It’s really gonna be the hub and the main connection point between Slauson and all of the recreation park amenities. We’re really excited to bring this project into a park-poor area of our city.”
Expected to be completed by early spring of 2028, or as Kim says, “before the 2028 Olympics”, the hub will be buttressed by the LA Metro’s $140 million Rail to River Transportation Project, which repurposes old freight lines into a 10.6-mile transit line from Inglewood to the Los Angeles River. There’s already a bike/walk path covering much of the distance that has proven to be a hit among residents, according to Kim.
For David McNeill, who’s the executive officer of the Baldwin Hills Conservancy, Slauson Connect’s green roof, surrounding green spaces, and innovative underground stormwater capture, reuse/filtration systems will be an educational bonanza for the neighborhood on environmental issues.
“The garden on the roof is going to have an interpretive display explaining what California drought data plants are all about, how the watershed works. Kind of a pathway painted on the way through the garden, doing an educational interpretation about the natural areas. Our main goal is to make sure that Slauson Connect is resilient,” McNeill said.
All of this is music to the ears of Donyale Gilbert. She says it will only make the community a better place in the long run.
“I think it’s gonna be a great addition to the community. The connections that they’re talking about, especially with the media center, just things that aren’t readily available to our community, the things schools don’t provide for our children,” noted Gilbert.
“I’m really excited about the whole thing and can’t wait to see the finished project.”
