Wilmington turns out in force to cheer, celebrate and play on the town’s sparkling new waterfront

Pete German and Teresa Taylor arrived early on Saturday, Feb. 3, for the long-awaited celebration of Wilmington’s new 9-acre piece of the waterfront in their hometown.

Sitting in two of the brand-new swings overlooking the harbor, both agreed they’d be back — and often.

“I really like this,” Taylor said, taking in what many said said was a breathtaking curtain-raising for what was promised to Wilmington so long ago.

Cedric Carpenter and his dad, Willie Carpenter, of Carson, were likewise impressed, taking in the surroundings that they called calm and peaceful.

An estimated 700 people turned out to listen to speeches, dance to some live music and generally bask in a promise fulfilled.

The new $77 million open space — featuring open play areas, full water views and walkways, a pier that juts out over the water with swings, a trampoline and other amenities — is located next to the Banning’s Landing Community Center at the foot of Avalon Boulevard. The center, which opened in the mid-1990s, marked what was the first achievement for community members who began pressing the Port of Los Angeles for some community payback in exchange for the many industry impacts Wilmington had endured.

It was, said Cecilia Moreno, what “some of us have been waiting for for a very long time.”

Moreno, now director of the port’s Community Relations director, was among Wilmington residents who for decades had fought for this moment.

It was, Moreno said, “what we always wanted and always deserved.”

The words she heard the most throughout the afternoon? “Beautiful, peaceful — and just ‘wow,’” she said.

Many of the folks who began the fight so long ago — including Bill and Gertrude Schwab who led the push to get Banning’s Landing — are no longer alive, Moreno noted. But many who still are were there to bask in the victory.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass spoke, along with state Sen. Steven Bradford, county Supervisor Janice Hahn, L.A. City Councilmember Tim McOsker, Assemblymember Mike Gipson, Harbor Commission President Lucille Roybal-Allard along with the other commissioners, and Port of L.A. Executive Director Gene Seroka.

More is coming for Wilmington, with a pedestrian bridge that will connect the new space heading north to Harry Bridges Boulevard.

Following the ribbon cutting, a Lunar New Year celebration unfolded on Wilmington’s new “window to the waterfront.”

The space will be open from dawn to dusk and planning will be underway for special events going forward on the property. Activities are expected to include events like outdoor movies.

As speakers took the stage, the skies began to cloud over with a heavy rainstorm anticipated to roll in within hours.

But for all those who had spent years sitting in community meetings, negotiating with the port and reviewing ideas with developers, it was a day to shine.

“How great is this place?” Moreno asked the crowd as she took the stage to introduce the speakers. “Look around. It’s just beautiful.”

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Wilmington turns out in force to cheer, celebrate and play on the town’s sparkling new waterfront – Daily News

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