Orange Park opens to public
Chula Vista residents living in the city’s southwest area finally get to enjoy the park they’ve been waiting for.
The city opened its 57th park on Friday, with a ceremonial ribbon cutting at Orange Park off Fourth Avenue led by Mayor Mary Casillas Salas.
Children helped the mayor count down from five and when she got to one the bow was cut, and the kids ran out onto the new soccer field.
During the grand opening from 2 to 5 p.m., attendees participated in a variety of activities, including a bounce house, basketball tournament and soccer clinic, among other things.
The park, adjacent to the South Chula Vista Branch Library, has been long-envisioned for area residents. Public meetings have been held since 2009 to gather feedback from the community on its design.
Lynda Garcia attended the event with her son, Nicolas, 9. They have lived a few blocks away on Oxford for the past 15 years.
“It’s very exciting,” Garcia said of the new park at 1475 Fourth Ave. “It gives us more options. We can now go to the park after we go to the library.”
Included in the park is a jungle gym, multipurpose field, half basketball court, three gazebos, picnic shelters, tot lot, off-leash dog park and walking trail with four exercise stations along the way.
“Considering the space they had to work with I think it’s just right,” Garcia said. “The equipment looks like a lot of fun for the kids.”
Nicolas gravitated first to the slide, then after the ribbon cutting ran straight to the bounce house, which was rented to celebrate the occasion.
Kristi McClure, the city’s recreation director, said the park is a great opportunity for neighbors to come to together. “This park truly brings quality of life to southwest Chula Vista,” she said.
Ray Lopez, 41, attended the event with his daughter, Isabella, 3. The two kicked a soccer ball back and forth on the new field. Lopez also has a 6-year-old son.
He lives about two miles east of the park and said he’ll use it with his children after visits to the library. “The park is great for the community,” he said. “It’s way overdue.”
Council members approved a contract in July 2013 with Webcor Builders to design and build Orange Park in the Montgomery area, west of Interstate 805.
The California Parks and Recreation Association funded the park via Proposition 84, which provides bonds for clean water, parks and coastal protection.
The city also celebrated the opening of another park Aug. 12 as part of the Millenia project on the city’s east side. Stylus Park is the first of six parks that are part of the Millenia development.
