This Fresno park will receive a major face lift thanks to California Prop. 68 funding
Carlos Mata, 38, has relied on Calwa Park for leisure his whole life.
He remembers going there after school with his two brothers to play basketball, jump from the high dive at the pool, and go down the old metal slide connected to the iconic rocket. He flew kites there with his father, who since passed away.
“This place has been a big part of my life,” he said on Monday, while his daughter Faye, 4, played on the swings.
The father of five looks forward to making happy memories in the park with his children, too, especially since some big upgrades are in store.
Calwa Park in southeast Fresno will receive a $6.6 million renovation designed by community members to honor the famous rocket structure through the latest round of state money granted through Proposition 68. Prop. 68 was passed by California voters in 2018 to create new parks and recreation activities. Calwa Park was one of two projects in Fresno County – the other for a new park in Selma – to receive a portion of the $254.9 million awarded statewide.
The funding will be used to renovate the snack bar and existing restrooms, build new playgrounds for children and install exercise equipment for adults, plant new trees, build new picnic areas and a walking path.
The park serves hundreds of residents daily through its soccer and baseball fields, Zumba classes, boxing classes and after-school programs, said Veronica Luchessa, the interim administrator for the Calwa Recreation and Park District.
The district, along with Fresno Building Healthy Communities and Friends of Calwa, applied for the grant money after hosting a series of community meetings to hear what kind of upgrades residents hoped to see at the park. Residents expressed needs for more wheelchair-friendly amenities, better lighting and a design that encourages playtime for kids and areas for parents and grandparents to watch and supervise. They also said crosswalks to the park and sidewalks around the park are badly needed.
Work on the renovations is scheduled to begin in late summer and be complete by 2022.
The upgrades will help improve morale in the community and increase community involvement, Luchessa said.
“It’s telling them, ‘We see you, we hear you, we notice you,’” she said.
The park district is the only governing body that truly serves the residents of Calwa, said Sandra Celedon, CEO and president of Fresno Building Healthy Communities.
Calwa is a county island.
“The community of Calwa is really kind of forgotten,” Celedon said. “The only entity that serves it directly is Calwa Park, which unfortunately has not received any significant capital investment in terms of upgrading facilities and amenities since the ‘50s. They rely on a very small community and the district itself to be able to take the lead.”
Parks and politics
The grant award comes amid renewed efforts to pass a sales tax in the city of Fresno to benefit parks. Measure P on the ballot in 2018 didn’t receive the percent of “yes” votes needed to pass and was opposed by Mayor Lee Brand, former Police Chief Jerry Dyer and other high-profile political groups. Now, proponents are working on a compromise that will give funding to the city’s police and fire departments as well as parks.
Since Measure P’s defeat, community groups have led efforts to improve parks throughout the city and build new ones without the city.
Celedon said the Calwa park district committed to maintaining the park after the Prop. 68 upgrades, something the city has said it can’t do with its small parks budget. She also noted Measure P would’ve funded park maintenance and improvements that would bring the city’s parks up to health and safety standards.
“That’s the kind of commitment we need from governments like the city and others,” she said. “Calwa Recreation and Parks District is willing to make that commitment. It really exemplifies what a governing body is supposed to do, which is look out for constituents and invest in the quality and well-being of the community.”
The city of Fresno’s parks department submitted three applications for Prop. 68 funding: renovations at Quigley and Radio parks and a new park near Church Avenue and Orangewood Drive in southeast Fresno. The city also approved an application for funding led by a citizen group hoping to build a park in the south Tower neighborhood at Broadway and Elizabeth streets.
Selma gets funding for park near Rockwell Pond
The other Fresno County project Prop. 68 money will fund is in Selma, where a new park will be built near Rockwell Pond on the west side of Highway 99. It’s the first new park in the city since Shafer Park was built in the mid 1980s. The $4.4 million will help build a playground, a water play area, walking trail, basketball courts, picnic shelters, restrooms, parking and other infrastructure on a 28-acre parcel.
Two projects in Merced County also will receive funding. Pioneer Park in Gustine will receive $1.3 million to build a new basketball court, splash pad, playground, free play area, picnic areas and install fencing around the park. Houlihan Park in Planada will receive about $2.4 million for a new splash pad, picnic areas, walking loop with lighting, exercise stations and an outdoor performing arts stage.
In Tulare County, the Olive Bowl and Kaku Park in Lindsay will receive $3.6 million for a new playground, new softball and baseball fields, a walking path, restrooms and a concession building.
In Kings County, Avenal and Corcoran will build new parks with Prop. 68 money. Avenal will build a kids park with playgrounds, decorative fencing barbecue pits, a public art mural and a restroom.
The city of Corcoran received the largest grant amount at just over $7 million. The new Corcoran Gateway Park will include five picnic pavilions, a multi-use field and storm water basin, a walking loop, a BMX and skate track, playground with shade, splash pad, exercise stations, corn hold court, restrooms, solar panels, parking and more.