EL CAMINO REAL PARK REOPENS: El Camino Real Park at 400 North Main Street, Orange, reopened in March with renovated restrooms, picnic pavillions and ballfields. Picnic pavillon reservations can be made by calling 714-744-7274. If you are wondering when the park was first built and how much the renovation cost, click here for that information and much more!
YOUTH FLAG FOOTBALL AND BASKETBALL PROGRAMS: The youth Flag Football and Basketball programs offered by the City of Orange are currently suspended until further notice due to our current fiscal challenges. If you would like to add your contact information to our interest list for potential youth sports programs in the future, please contact Recreation Services Coordinator Mark Matsuda at 714-744-7265. You may also email your name, address, phone number and which youth sports program interests you to mmatsuda@cityoforange.org. Thank you.
STEVE AMBRIZ PARK IN DEL RIO PROJECT: Residents in the Del Rio project have been asking when their neighborhood park (Steve Ambriz Park) is going to be built. North Orange Del Rio Land, LLC (Del Rio), the master developer for the River Bend project that includes the park, has filed for bankruptcy. At this time, the City is working through a number of legal issues that this has created with respect to finishing the public improvements at the project and the park. Del Rio has expressed a desire to construct the park and other public improvements and the City is still working with Del Rio to see if that can happen. We are hopeful that we can make our way through the legal process in the next six months. At that time, Del Rio can move forward with the steps of bidding the project, review of bids, award of contract and then begin park construction, which we anticipate will take approximately 15 months. Under these circumstances then, the earliest we would see the park completed would be the fall of 2011. We understand this is much later than homeowners were led to believe they would see a park on site, however, the bankruptcy is out of the City's control. We share the residents' frustration and are working diligently to settle the issues as soon as possible so that the park won't be delayed further.
To view a most-recent conceptual of this park, click here.
GRIJALVA PARK AT SANTIAGO CREEK GYMNASIUM CONSTRUCTION: Construction of the sports facility/gymnasium at Grijalva Park at Santiago Creek continues. Here's some recent pictures of the project:
WATER CONSERVATION IN OUR CITY PARKS: The Community Services Department is very conscious of the water issues that the entire state is facing. We are developing plans to re-tool our entire irrigation control system. We are also working with the Metropolitan Water District and Municpal Water District of Orange County to take advantage of funding being made available to retrofit park irrigation control systems. Our plan is to utilize technology to control the irrigation in parks and other City faciltiies to operate based on weather data and be able to automatically shut off during rain or in the event of a broken irrigation pipe. The systems are also able to be monitored and manipulated remotely, allowing for better control overall. We anticipate that these changes will eventually result in a significant water savings in our parks. The City is also looking at other alternatives, such as low-flow fixtures and other devices that will help save our limited resources. This department and the City continue to look for ways to conserve and looking at all viable alternatives to do this.
GREAT GIFT ANYTIME!: The Community Foundation of Orange announced its newest fund-raising project, Brick By Brick, wherein donors can have their family or business names engraved on a brick that will make up the walkway to the Grijalva Park Gymnasium/Sports Center. Click here for more information and the form.
For more information on the Community Foundation of Orange's role in the Grijalva Gymnasium/Sports Center, to make a donation, or inquire about naming opportunities, go to Community Foundation of Orange website, or phone 714-288-9909.
February 25, 2010
With the Spring 2010 issue, Orange Progress, the quarterly news, community events and class schedule publication since 1968, will officially re-launch and become Our Orange.
February 6, 2010
El Camino Real Park Grand Re-Opening will be rescheduled at a later day. Please check the website or special events hotline (714) 744-7278 for additional details at that time.
December 23, 2008
The City of Orange is pleased to announce that a draft of the Santiago Creek Vision Plan is ready for public stakeholder review and input. This document is the product of many years of hard work and, as with anything of this magnitude, a lot of starts and stalls.
