Streamland Park in Pico Rivera faces possible closure

For more than 50 years, the Pico Boys Baseball League has been thriving at Streamland Park.

"My family has been here since the late 60s. I played in the 70s," resident Mike Aguirre said. "I've been coaching here for more 21 years."

However, it could be the last summer of play at Pico Rivera's historic Streamland Park as a massive repair and expansion project on the bordering Whittier Narrows Dam could begin next year.

"If they shut this down here, I don't know where we're going to go," Aguirre said.

The Army Corps of Engineers said the dam is at risk of eroding and needs critical repairs to prevent significant flooding for more than 1.2 million people. Construction staging and plans to widen the dam will take over the baseball fields.

"Safety and security is the first priority," Mayor Andrew Lara said.

Lara also knows the five-year project comes with a cost of the fields and much of the city's municipal golf course, which also sits beside the dam. It may also close permanently.

"The city is losing approximately 57% of their park space," he said.

The construction project could permanently cut off the only road to the historic and beloved Pico Rivera Sports Arena, a famous site for Mexican rodeos and other Hispanic cultural events.

Lara hopes the federal government will restore the golf course and ball fields and pay for a new road to the stadium.

"When I come, and I see families and I see small children," Lara said. I see generations being given, being passed down this tradition."