ROOM FOR BOOKS AND ROOKS PRICEY CHESS PARK HAS CRITICS, FINALLY GETTING SOME USE.Byline: Naush Boghossian Staff Writer GLENDALE- Sean Guillory of Los Feliz stumbled upon the city's $540,000 chess park on a recent weekday while waiting to get his car fixed at a nearby shop. Reading a book at one of the benches, he hadn't noticed the 16 boards and towering chess pieces in the covered passageway along Brand Boulevard. But when he realized the purpose of the park - despite the fact that the only users that day were a student studying during a break between classes and a lunchtime napper - he thought it was a wonderful way to spend public funds See Fund, 3. See also: Public . ``There are so few places in shopping areas like this to just hang out. You're always compelled to purchase something. At Starbucks you're compelled to buy a cup of coffee, at a bookstore you're compelled to buy a book or a cup of coffee. You can be here and not buy anything,'' said the 32-year-old UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX graduate student. ``It's better than spending $500,000 for another mall, parking lot or shopping center shopping center, a concentration of retail, service, and entertainment enterprises designed to serve the surrounding region. The modern shopping center differs from its antecedents—bazaars and marketplaces—in that the shops are usually amalgamated into .'' Guillory's opinion notwithstanding, the city has been facing some criticism over the 10-month-old chess park - one of only two in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, - with some residents complaining that it's too much money for a place where there's little chess-playing going on. ``I never see anybody there. It's awfully hot, there's no shade, there are no restrooms. To me it was a huge waste of money,'' said Glendale resident Margaret Hammond. ``Why couldn't they have gotten the main floor of the building that was there and made it a passageway if that's all they're using it for? What character does it have?'' But city officials said the park serves as a focal point focal point n. See focus. for the downtown area as well as an important connection between parking and Brand Boulevard. ``It's an art piece in and of itself. It's a useful piece of public art done in a way to provide a respite RESPITE, contracts, civil law. An act by which a debtor who is unable to satisfy his debts at the moment, transacts (i. e. compromises) with his creditors, and obtains from them time or delay for the payment of the sums which he owes to them. Louis. Code, 3051. for people who are downtown,'' City Manager Jim Starbird said. ``Things like this are a way of adding ambience am·bi·ence n. Variant of ambiance. ambience or ambiance Noun the atmosphere of a place Noun 1. to a downtown, adding character and giving a downtown some life beyond being a place for people to shop.'' Mayor Rafi Manoukian Rafi Manoukian is a former member of the city council in Glendale, California. He was recently notified that he has been selected by the Board of Directors and the Selection Committee of the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations (NECO) as a recipient of the 2006 Ellis Island said that when the city was considering what to do with the property, it became clear that just creating a passageway with lighting and benches would have cost nearly the same as the chess park. ``The funds were going to be used anyway. The area was barren bar·ren adj. 1. Not producing offspring. 2. Incapable of producing offspring. barren see infertility. barren adjective Gynecology Infertile, sterile, fruitless, inconceivable . Something was going to be done,'' Manoukian said. ``We had to improve the aesthetics of it because it was leading to the cultural center of Glendale.'' In an effort to begin holding tournaments at the park, local chess organizations had set the first championships over the weekend, with 10 teams participating. Armen Ambartsoumian, head coach of the All American Association American Association refers to one of the following professional baseball leagues:
n. 1. a. A blitzkrieg. b. A heavy aerial bombardment. 2. An intense campaign: a media blitz focused on young voters. 3. tournaments and he hopes to continue it through the summer. ``This is a great idea. Before, there wasn't anything there, but now it looks very nice. We have to start organizing some chess events there,'' said Ambartsoumian, whose organization boasts more than 150 students, some of whom are state champions and members of a national youth team. Although the concrete seats make it a little uncomfortable for players who spend hours on the game, it's a slight problem they can overcome, he said. ``All in all, it's not bad.'' Naush Boghossian, (818) 546-3306 naush.boghossian(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1) Residents relax in the chess park off Brand Boulevard between California and Wilson streets. The city has been facing some criticism over the 10-month-old chess park, with some residents complaining that it isn't money well spent. Evan Yee/Staff Photographer (2) Andre Malikian, 11, of Glendale concentrates during a warm-up game for the Glendale City Goodwill Chess Team Championship at the park Saturday. John Lazar/Staff Photographer |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion