Photo By Chad Eller | Col. Jeffrey S. Palazzini, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Emergency...... read more read more
PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — Will Rogers State Historic Park is playing a vital role in the Pacific Palisades' wildfire recovery effort after the ranch house and several structures in the park were destroyed in the Palisades Wildfire on Jan. 7.
A little over three of the park’s 186 acres, located in Pacific Palisades, California, are being used to process and reduce concrete and vegetative debris before the material is transported to permitted recycling centers. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers entered into a lease agreement with California State Parks and began operations April 14.
“Using Will Rogers Park to recycle debris from homes destroyed in the wildfire had a lot of advantages,” said Col. Jeffrey S. Palazzini, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Emergency Field Office–Palisades Fire commander. “With so many affected homes nearby, the park has reduced our haul times, and this is key in the recovery process. Being able to utilize this area lowers fuel consumption, lowers emissions and speeds up recovery so that homeowners can begin rebuilding sooner.”
USACE implemented a strict air quality and dust control program for the area, including two on-site air monitoring stations and select staff members wearing monitors. The monitors track total dust, including particulates sized 2.5 and 10 microns, with data analyzed by the Los Angeles County Health Department and the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
Water trucks equipped with spray nozzles and misters are used to further minimize dust around work areas.
“If you are familiar with the park, we operate from the overflow parking area at Sarah’s Point,” Palazzini said. “I gave a local reporter familiar with the park a tour of our operations. She was surprised we are producing less dust now than what you would encounter at this parking lot at past events before the fire. Keeping our team and the local community safe is our number one priority. Air quality monitoring and dust suppression efforts play a big part in our safety program here.”
In addition to being used as a debris recycling center, the park will be cleared of its own fire debris. A $2.6 million contract was awarded to cover the complete fire debris removal process at the park, including the historic farmhouse, barn, polo field announcer’s booth and tourist center.
The scope of work includes fire debris removal, environmental monitoring, hazard site assessment, hazardous tree removal and vehicle removal from affected park areas.
| Date Taken: | 04.29.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.29.2025 18:29 |
| Story ID: | 496515 |
| Location: | PACIFIC PALISADES, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 51 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Will Rogers State Historic Park plays role in Palisades recovery, by Chad Eller, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
