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The City of Grand Terrace created a beautiful pocket park located at
the northwest corner of DeBerry Street and Mount Vernon Avenue.
The park has three murals celebrating the City's citrus and honey heritage that
contain over 300 tiles that were individually painted by members of the
community. The main mural is of the “Blue Mountain” label that once adorned orange
crates packed with locally grown oranges. The other two murals include the city's
official flower—the Blue Lupine and a Honey Skep, of which the likenesses can be found
in Honey Hills.
Several park benches, trees, and two rose gardens were also dedicated
to the park. Some residents wanted to remember family members and some
just wanted salute the “Grand” City on the terrace.
The highlight of the park is the 6 foot tall bronze statue atop a black granite
based called “Red-Tailed Hawk Soaring over Blue Mountain” created by artist
Patrick Jewitt of San Bernardino. The community raised $10,000 to
commission the statue. The statue commemorates a red-tailed hawk that
was accidentally poisoned near Blue Mountain in 2007. It was then nursed
back to health by wildlife rehabilitators Joseph and Linda Chalk, and released
back into the wild to once again soar over Blue Mountain.
The park land was donated to the City by Gwenn Karger's son, Jason Karger.
In 2006, the City Council approved 15 lots in the area for tract homes built by
Karger Homes, and one lot for open space. The open space lot was where the
Gwen Karger Park was developed.
On November 28, 2008, the City placed a time capsule in the Gwen Karger Park under
the Red-Tailed Hawk Soaring over Blue Mountain statue. The time capsule is
scheduled to be opened in the year 2028. The time capsule is filled with items from the
Grand Terrace Child Care Center, Community Organizations, and questionnaires about
what the people think Grand Terrace will be like in the future.
Donations
Statue
Mayor Maryetta and Frank Ferré
Foundation of Grand Terrace
Rose Gardens
Grand Terrace Woman's Club
Montecito Memorial
Benches
Mayor Pro Tem Lee Ann Garcia
Council Member Bea Cortes
Council Member Jim Miller and Margie Miller
Grand Terrace Lion's Club
Claire Kidd
JoAnn Johnson
Maya Garcia Bacon
Trees
Thelma Winkler Beach
Grand Terrace Republican Women's Club
Jim Prime
Denise Hoogendoorn
The City of Grand Terrace in Honor of Laurie Shearer
Claire Kidd
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A red-tailed hawk was found poisoned on Blue Mountain in early 2007. Through a referral from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the hawk was rescued and nourished by Linda and Joseph Chalk. Once rehabilitated, the hawk was released to soar again over the great little city called Grand Terrace.
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