Integrated Sustainable Design

As the public relations person for this firm, I often attend the grand openings of our various projects and get to see firsthand the impact our design work has on its end users. Recently, at the Brea Sports Park Grand Opening, I was able to walk around and talk to kids, parents, grandparents and even their pets. Shining eyes and smiling faces were everywhere. For a city that waited more than 10 years for this 26-acre park to become a reality, it was a remarkable day.

A family that truly touched me was the Ryan family. I met mom Marie Ryan when I asked if I could interview her two boys. With Marie's permission, I'd like to share the e-mail she sent afterward - in its entirety.

Good Morning Rochelle,

It was nice meeting you at the Brea Sports Park yesterday.

I've decided to write to you as a follow up to the question you posed to my boys yesterday. You asked what it meant to them to have a sports park of such grandeur. All my boys could muster up was a shrug of the shoulders and both seemed a bit lost for words. 

I wanted you to know that my boys were overwhelmed and simply wonderstruck with the magnificence of the new sports park that LPA has taken part in bringing to our city.   

Like every other family, we have tracked the transformation. With every drive by my boys have called out: New pavement! Cement paths! Chain link fences! Snack Shack! SCORE BOARDS!!! During the fires we prayed that the park be spared. Then thanked God when it was. Our latest thrill is to drive past slowly announcing, "Now batting, and number ... Zach/Andrew RYAN!!!"  

For two boys who dream "Big League" dreams, the park means endless- fun, great first memories, opportunities, lasting friendships, wisdom, refinement, and growth. For parents, it cultivates moments of great pride, inspires cohesiveness as a family, and affords the bond between a father and son.

In short, the Brea Sports Park means more to us than a few simple words.  

Thank you Rochelle for sharing your enthusiasm with us, and for understanding that you caught us in a moment of realization. Game on Baby, Game On!

Best Regards, Marie Ryan

All I have to say is notes like these embody one of the many reasons I love working at LPA. Not only do we make the world a greener place -one sustainable design at a time- but we manifest this continuity of excellence in everything we do. And this is a legacy we're proud to leave for future generations.

Photo Caption (from left): Brea resident Nancy Clifton-Hawkins, Marie Ryan with 8-year-old son Andrew, 9-year-old son Zach and dog, Roxy.

LINKS

http://www.ci.brea.ca.us/page.cfm?name=about_hist

http://www.prweb.com/releases/Brea/SportsPark/prweb2014974.htm

http://www.lpainc.com/design/project/190/Brea_Sports_Park

http://maps.google.com/maps/place?rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-Address&oe=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=brea+sports+park&fb=1&gl=us&hq=sports+park&hnear=0x80dcd486689e8c17:0x1518b5b796044ae4,Brea,+CA&cid=1423219275889823965

http://www.coastsoccer.com/fields/F113.HTM