Figure 3-2: Montebello Schools

Montebello Schools & Special Use Facilities

3.4 LEVEL OF SERVICE

Level of Service (LOS) within the context of park planning is a measurement to evaluate how parks, open spaces, and facilities serve the given community. A LOS analysis is used to benchmark current conditions based on NRPA metrics and other regional metrics on park facilities. LOS is used to help direct future planning efforts based on projected population growth and future park facilities.

LOS describes how a recreation system provides residents access to recreational assets and amenities. It indicates the ability of people to connect with nature and pursue active lifestyles. It can have implications for health and wellness, the local economy, and the quality of life. Further, LOS for a park and recreation system tends to reflect community values. It is often representative of people’s connection to their communities and lifestyles focused on outdoor recreation and healthy living.

3.5 POPULATION-BASED SERVICE ANALYSIS

A population-based service analysis for Montebello’s park system was performed using NRPA Park Metrics from the 2020 Agency Performance Review Survey. An amenity spreadsheet was produced indicating the amenities that are located in each park. These amenities were then totaled and listed under each park. The Master Plan inventoried the City’s existing recreation facilities using the Los Angeles Countywide Comprehensive Park & Recreation Needs Assessment. Table 3-5 summarizes these facilities and compares them with the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) guideline service level and recommended Needs Assessment standards for the City of Montebello (one facility per number of population). The calculations are based on the current population level in the City of Montebello of 62,742 according to the 2019 Census American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. This table also shows the existing park and sports facilities available at each park. Because private parks may not be available to the public at all times, their analysis acreage and amenities are calculated as 25%. Due to the lacking JUA/MOU agreement, the school facilities are not included in LOS analysis. According to the recommended standards, the City currently has sufficient picnic areas, pools, and recreation centers, but is deficient in most of the sports (fields and court based sports), pedestrian, and bicycle facilities.

LOS is an appropriate gauge of where deficits may be; however, this is not the only measure to view the park facilities. For instance, this national survey does not reflect regional trends in Southern California such as futsal, handball, pelota mixteca, and other adventure type sports such as obstacle courses, climbing walls, rope courses, bouldering, pump tracks, and adventure playgrounds. As such, an additional lens should be applied to capture the community’s priorities, needs, and impressions on the current park system. This should be used in addition to the population-based level of service analysis can provide a good indication of the future park needs. The needs will be further discussed in other chapters of the report.