LEAD CLEANUP UNDER WAY AT PARK SITES : CITY HAS BEGUN WORK AT 5 PARKS; TRAVEL TOWN BIDS TO COME.

Byline: Deborah Sullivan Daily News Staff Writer

Efforts are under way to remove paint containing lead from five Los Angeles park sites that were found to have high lead levels two weeks ago, city officials said Wednesday.

Last month, the Recreation and Parks Department closed or restricted six sites, including Travel Town at Griffith Park, the Sylmar Recreation Area and Shadow Ranch Park in West Hills.

Those sites, along with three others throughout the city, posed the highest risk out of 128 city parks frequently used by children, according to tests by Los Angeles County health officials. Lead levels at those sites were as much as three times higher than allowed under county standards, the tests revealed.

Recreation and parks officials said Wednesday, however, that they have taken action to correct the problem at five of the six sites, and are placing the Travel Town cleanup job out to bid.

``We had our contractors look at each one of the five sites and recommend the necessary measures,'' said Rick Sessinghaus, recreation and parks director.

Leila Barker, an environmental associate with the department, said the lead cleanup of buildings at the Sylmar Recreation Area already is finished.

``We removed all the lead-based paint from the door frame and are having our construction forces replace that,'' Barker said.

In addition, the department closed off the second floor where flaking and peeling lead paint was detected.

The tests also showed high lead levels in playground equipment at Sylmar that officials said earlier was certified to be lead-free.

Although parks officials said last month they would retest the equipment to determine if it indeed contained lead, officials could not say Wednesday whether the second tests were completed or what they planned to do with the equipment.

Work to remove peeling and chipping paint at Shadow Ranch is starting today, Barker said, and should be completed by the end of next week.

The buildings contain lead paint on exterior walls and canopies that must be stripped and sealed before city crews can repaint them.

Lead removal at Travel Town - an exhibit of antique railroad cars - is up for bid, Barker said.

``We're having the contractors look at all the cars,'' she said. ``We're specifically looking at the locomotives because that's where the children have access.''

Lead removal at Rustic Canyon and Echo Park sites is also starting today, Barker said, and work on the Banning Recreation Center in Wilmington already is completed.

Lead removal at all the sites except Travel Town is expected to cost about $71,000.