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Children’s Play Park Named for Attorney Neil Papiano To Be Dedicated Tomorrow at Los Angeles Zoo
By a MetNews Staff Writer
The Los Angeles Zoo is set to dedicate the Neil Papiano Play Park at a ceremony tomorrow morning.
The park is named for the downtown Los Angeles attorney whose $250,000 donation made it possible. Papiano and the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association, the zoo’s private fundraising group, announced the donation two years ago.
The park incorporates animal-themed climbing sculptures, large play structures, a toddler area, water misters, grassy landscaping, and a large picnic area, the zoo explained in a release, adding that the park would be accessible to all children, “including those with medical and physical challenges. “
Papiano, who has represented a number of prominent figures in the sports and entertainment fields over the years, will be joined for the 10:30 a.m. dedication by City Councilman Tom LaBonge and children from Wilmington Elementary School, according to the release.
The attorney, a senior partner of Iverson, Yoakum, Papiano & Hatch, could not be reached yesterday for comment.
He said at the time the donation was announced:
“I have been interested in providing play parks for urban children for a long time. The Los Angeles Zoo is one of our city’s true treasures. It is ideally located. and the new play park will be used by thousands of Los Angeles children and their families for many years to come.”
Papiano, 70, is a native of Salt Lake City and has been practicing in Los Angeles for over 40 years. He has previously endowed two parks in his hometown, one named for his grandmother and the other for a schoolteacher who encouraged him to attend Stanford University, where he obtained his undergraduate degree.
His law degree is from Vanderbilt University.
Copyright 2005, Metropolitan News Company