Cutline: Colorado Ballpark Renovation Master Plan showing site of new “splash pad” water playground (location indicated by blue arrow). Source: City of Los Banos
“This is an extremely exciting night for us as a community to get this splash pad added to the Colorado Ballpark,” City Manager Josh Pinheiro
LOS BANOS, CA — During their meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, with Mayor Paul Llanez absent, the Los Banos City Council approved a new water playground known as a “splash pad” and removal of the tennis courts, for now, at the Colorado Ballpark during renovations.
The City Council received a presentation update on the Colorado Ballpark Renovation project from and voted 4-0 to direct staff to include the proposed addition of a water playground known as a splash pad and removal of the tennis courts at the park.
“We’ve had three light poles go down over the past three years. Flooding is one of the biggest issues on site,” Parks and Recreation Director Joe Heim stated. “The skatepark is generally outdated.”
The splash pad will be free for the public to use, he shared. The plan adds about 60 parking spots.
“Staff does not have a relocation site for the tennis courts at this time,” Heim said. “There’s a lot more flexibility of where they can go in the future.”
“Splash pads are zero depth so there are no lifeguards providing cost savings,” he shared.
“Staff feels this is a project that can move forward with council approval…and serves diverse park users,” Heim added.
“We’re targeting a budget of $15 million internally” for the overall park renovations he said. “We have received over $900,000 from City Council in ARPA (federal COVID-19) funding. We received just under $1 million from Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria’s support. That leaves us with about just under $10 million we feel confident internally we can fund, right now. Staff is also looking at $5 million in other funding…whether they’re grants, or individuals. We want to be as creative with funding as possible.”
“This is the biggest investment we’ve ever asked as far as Parks and Recreation,” Heim continued.
“We estimate the splash pad will add $800,000 to $1 million in costs,” he stated. “There will be future costs, chemicals.”
According to the city staff report for the agenda item, number 9, Colorado Ballpark is located at 815 Colorado Avenue, adjacent to the City’s municipal airport, and features three ballfields, a skate park, two tennis courts, a restroom and a large parking lot. The ballpark is over 70 years old and has hosted the Los Banos Little League since 1969 which supports the surrounding communities of Dos Palos, Santa Nella and Gustine.
The ballpark is host to the City’s only public skate park and tennis courts. The census tract that Colorado Ballpark is located in qualifies as a “disadvantaged community” and the area receives the highest possible score from CalEnviro 3.0, which evaluates disadvantaged communities.
It is one of the most heavily used parks in Los Banos. The facility is aging and is in poor condition. There have been numerous issues identified on-site. These include building repairs to the concession stands and restroom.
Since 2021 three ballfield light poles have fallen due to high winds and the electrical onsite is aging and is in need of upgrades. Irrigation on-site is galvanized and requires replacement.
The skate park on-site was built in 1998 and features a shallow bowl area, with no ‘runup’ space. The skate park is a popular location for Los Banos youth, but there are notable complaints about the current design of the facility. The tennis courts were constructed in the 1970s are in poor condition due to cracking asphalt.
The facility lacks American Disability Act (ADA) access and field conditions have become challenging due to aging galvanized irrigation systems in place since the 1950s.
The City of Los Banos initiated preliminary conceptual designs and collected public input during several public input opportunities. These include the 2021 Park Master Plan process, which included a public survey and a conceptual plan for the park.
The conceptual plan was updated during the public process of the Rural Recreation and Tourism grant submission. This process included a specific public meeting for Colorado Ballpark and an updated conceptual plan, based on input received from neighbors and the public.
In Fall 2023, City staff initiated a task order with Gala for architecture services relating to an updated conceptual plan, which included stakeholder meetings with the Los Banos Little League board and a large group of community skateboarders. The project was presented in January 2023 to the Parks and Recreation Commission.
On March 20, 2024, the Los Banos City Council was provided a presentation on Colorado Ballpark and included a conceptual design for a $13-$17 million facility renovation. The Los Banos City Council provided direction to further investigate and evaluate the project. City staff identified that the conditions at Colorado Ballpark require a complete renovation.
The proposed re-design includes the relocation of the parking lot and Field 2. This will create a centralized parking lot, which includes an increased number of parking stalls. The re-design will also create a central plaza space.
The central plaza space will support both the smaller fields and the skate park. This will allow for the reduction of total buildings on-site from three full buildings to one building and scorekeeper booths. The smaller fields are the most heavily used by the Los Banos Little League and having two fields of the same size will increase participation and tournament
use. Warm-up spaces for the ballfields will also provide additional upgrades for the facility.
Other facility upgrades include a larger skate park that includes modern elements. The parking lot would also include lights and planter medians, increasing the security and safety on-site.
Staff evaluated the project and reviewed comments from public meetings and the Park Master Plan process and is proposing the addition of a splash pad and removal of the tennis courts on-site.
New Water Playground Background
A splash pad is one of the highest in-demand amenities requested from the public. In September 2020 City staff and its consultant hosted a virtual community meeting and utilized the Parks Master Plan community meetings and surveys for additional public comment. The splash pad was routinely listed as one of the highest priorities from the community.
The City of Los Banos lacks a water feature to offer its residents and it is expected that the splash pad would be one of the most popular destinations for Los Banos residents and visitors.
A splash pad, also known as a spray park or water playground, is an area fitted with a slip-resistant surface with various nozzles and water features that can shower, rain, mist or shoot streams of water.
Water is collected, filtered, sanitized, and recirculated to keep the water fun flowing in an eco-friendly way. Splash pads are typically operated seasonally from later spring to early fall.
Staff has previously evaluated the construction of a splash pad. In 2019 and 2021, grants were unsuccessfully submitted to the State of California for construction of a splash pad at Pacheco Park. In March 2021, the City Council also selected Pacheco Park as a viable location for a splash pad.
Installation at Pacheco Park is associated with other site improvements that have not been completed to-date. Pacheco Park will require parking, irrigation, building, landscape and any other improvements as designed.
Construction of a splash pad includes several requirements. Requirements are derived from County and State Health and Safety codes and often mirror requirements for pools and spas, including:
1. Restrooms within 300 feet
2. Hose bib less than 50 feet away
3. 4,000-gallon recirculating water tank
4. Maintain a Certified Pool Operations certification
5. Solid roof covering for the pool house
6. Four-inch sewer-line
7. 1.5-inch water supply
8. Eight heated showerheads
9. At least two drinking fountains
Due to the improvements needed at Pacheco Park and limited design options on-site, including parking availability, staff evaluated Colorado Ballpark as a possible location for a splash pad.
The Colorado Ballpark renovation will include an enlarged parking lot adding up to 60 additional parking spaces, as well as a new restroom facility.
Given the anticipated popularity of a splash pad in Los Banos, staff is recommending a 2,900-3,000 square foot splash pad. The design will include signage, fencing with locking mechanisms, a timer system, and a central attraction such as a spilling bucket.
Public meetings have revealed that a central theme such as “airport” or “wetlands” and the inclusion of color is important to the public. Staff would also recommend the review of rentable shade gazebos nearby to help off-set recurring expenses.
To provide space for the proposed splash pad, staff is recommending re-locating the tennis courts on-site which are in need of a complete renovation and relocating them will not require parking, underground utility and neighborhood impact that a splash pad will have. Staff does not have a recommended re-location site for tennis courts at this time.
The addition of a splash pad would create a destination park for recreation in Los Banos.
The Park would feature three premier youth ballfields, a large parking lot, an updated skate park and a splash pad. Staff anticipates the park to be attractive to all ages and community groups.
Staff is recommending a design build process similar to the Los Banos Police Station or Los Banos Fire Station
City staff is in the process of identifying internal and external funding sources for the project. City staff anticipates that matching funds will be required by the City for any external funding. Utilizing the available funding as matching funds may assist the City in securing external grants.
Staff is still evaluating land use and will need to evaluate it with the consideration of a splash pad depending on direction from City Council.
Colorado Ballpark is part of the Los Banos Municipal Airport land parcel. Any significant renovations to the park shall be presented to the Airport Land Use Commission and impacts of new buildings or light poles shall be considered in the design. The conceptual design, as presented, utilizes the existing park footprint on-site. Topographic and geotechnical surveys have been completed on-site.
The project will create a premier sports destination park in Los Banos and in Merced County. It will provide specialized recreation amenities for the City of Los Banos. City staff is requesting discussion and direction from the Los Banos City Council for the future of Colorado Ballpark, including the addition of a splash pad and the removal of tennis courts from the project.
City Council Questions, Discussion and Unanimous Vote to Approve Splash Pad
During council discussion on the item, Jones was first to speak saying, “When I heard about the splash pad going in here, I was really excited. It has bathrooms, everything that’s needed, there.”
“What makes this different…why is this now a viable project and not just talk?” he asked.
“There are a number of differences. There is additional funding available,” Heim responded. “Having stability of leadership whether it’s from the director level, the council level or staff. When we looked at Pacheco Park, we had a variety of Public Works Directors during that time. That was when Parks and Recreation was being split off from Public Works.”
“What we’re going to do with Pacheco Park, whether it will be a pool,” the Parks & Recreation Director continued. “We’ve been wanting to get Colorado Park improved. We have stakeholders there, skateboarders, Little League…we’ve had a lot of support.”
“There’s never been a formal vote? There’s never been any defunding?” Jones asked.
“We’ve had funding for engineering but not construction,” Heim responded.
“Before it can go out to bid. So, we’re looking at the end of the year, best case scenario,” Jones stated. “So, it will be 2026 before we can start construction.”
“I’m hoping it can be sooner than 2026. This is a conceptual design, here,” Heim said.
District 4 Councilwoman Deborah Lewis asked, “Can you please go over those numbers with me? Is the $8 million designated for this park?
“It’s $8 million from the Park Development Fund,” Heim said. “There will be some left over funds from park development projects. We’re not banking on that. We anticipate $500,000 to $1 million left over for this. We don’t want to exhaust the fund entirely. This is a fund that about six or seven years ago was at about $50,000. The fund is there to develop parks, to develop a specialized park for something like this. We have been growing that fund.”
“That leaves somewhere between S6 and $7 million?” Lewis asked.
“We’re looking at just $10 million available leaving just under $5 million we’re targeting as staff,” Heim responded.
“With that being said what are the chances of grants in the future. Are there monies out there that we’re considering applying for?” she asked.
“Yes. There’s a lot of funding from water departments from throughout the state. It becomes a lot more attractive for award when we can match it at two-thirds,” he explained. “A lot of grants go back to the start date. There are other ways to get funding other than grants. Community members may want to contribute to the project.”
“The city has been doing a good job on park development. We have 37 playgrounds and we’re pushing 40 green spaces,” Heim stated.
“How did the grant from Esmeralda Soria come about?” Jones asked.
“That was our city manager, Josh Pineirho,” Heim responded. “I believe they have regular communication. They’ve been on site several times.”
“Thank you, city manager,” Jones stated.
“I feel this is a great opportunity. I feel during the next several months we will get other grant funding to get us fairly close,” Lambert stated. “I think it’s an excellent location for the splash pad.”
“Thank you to Assemblywoman Soria. I love this Little League field, but it’s deteriorated,” District 2 Councilman Doug Begonia said. “It’s just one of the many failures of our past leaders up here,” he continued. “That park is 70 years old and looks every bit of it. We’re going to get this done. I have full faith in Joe and all of our city staff. It’s our city’s one Little League field. Our bowling alley and theater shut down.”
“I look forward to the entire renovation of it. It’s one big win for our community,” Begonia added.
A motion by Jones for the redesign of the renovation, removal of the tennis courts and addition of the splash pad and seconded by Begonia, was approved 4-0.
“I was on social media tonight. Our mayor wasn’t able to make it, but I see he was in favor of this,” Jones added.
In a post last night on his personal Facebook page, Mayor Llanez wrote about the changes to the park, “We’ve been working on infrastructure projects and cleaning up decades of neglect the past two years and I’m happy to share this is the first big community amenity project that has been in the works for a while. When I spoke to Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria a few months back and shared the need for our community to get a pool and splash pad for our kids, she did more than just listen. Her office committed $1,000,000 to this project which gave us the momentum to add a splash pad to this park design. This is a result of a goal oriented team working together to get things done. The pool project is still very feasible but there is much work to be done before city staff has enough information to bring a viable option before council. More to come.”
“This is an extremely exciting night for us as a community to get this splash pad added to the Colorado Ballpark,” Pinheiro stated during City Manager Communication. “It gets pretty hot, here. We no longer have a public pool.”
“Colorado Ballpark has been neglected…for many, many years,” he continued. “I’m very grateful for the leadership, from the mayor, specifically. A big thank you to the mayor…he’s paid a lot of attention to this.”
“It will be a safe place for kids and a place to go for parents. It’s much needed and long overdue,” Pinheiro added.
