Three years since its inception by residents in the Severin Grossmont Hills neighborhood, La Mesa Public Works have approved installation of a small pedestrian park and historical marker.

The improved landscaping planned for the northeast corner of Severin and Murray Drive will enhance the aesthetics of the western entrance into the La Mesa community.

New ground cover, hardscaping, drip-irrigation and a historical plaque are planned for the City of La Mesa’s right-of-way area at the western end of La Suvida Drive, where it once intersected with Severin Drive until the mid-1980’s.

“It has been a community effort from the start,” said Richard Sweeney, a resident in the neighborhood. “It started with just a few neighbors discussing the historical significance of the area but has snowballed into a neighborhood organization dedicated to this privately funded community improvement,” he continued.

Fundraising efforts by residents Nikki Kreibich, Brooks & Kurtis Pauly and Sweeney have sourced funds through local resident donors and the granddaughters of Earl Severin and Urban DeCamp, original developers in the community.

“We are very excited about how this is coming together,” Kreibich, a La Mesa Realtor said. “We are on our way to achieving the funds needed to finish the project. In-kind donations from John Beaudry Landscaping, RCP Block & Brick, Rock & Block Hardscape Supply, Anthony’s Fish Grotto Restaurant and graphic artist Bradley Keen have also been an enormous help.”

A neighborhood planning meeting is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 12, 10 a.m. at Anthony’s Fish Grotto, 9530 Murray Drive. Anyone interested in the project is invited to attend.

A brief summary of the neighborhood’s history, dating back to Dr. Charles M. Johnson’s purchase of the area in 1865, will also be presented. A fundraising book outlining the complete history of the area will be available.

For more information contact Sweeney at: [email protected].