New Mecca Park to Start Construction April 30

MECCA – The Mecca Regional Sports Park, which will create a new active green space and additional recreation opportunities for the community of Mecca, is set to begin construction at the end of next month.

The Riverside County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to move the park project forward with approval of a construction contract.

The 6.67-acre park will be located next to the Mecca Boys & Girls Club and near the Mecca Family & Farmworker Service Center and will feature: multipurpose fields and walking paths with lighting, multiple playgrounds, a splash pad, sand volleyball courts, workout stations, and a lighted kiosko, which will provide a space to gather.

Riverside County and the Desert Recreation District will host a groundbreaking ceremony for the project, scheduled the morning of Saturday, April 30, with more details to follow. The project is expected to take eight months to complete, with the goal of opening in December 2022.

“This is amazing news that tailgates after the ribbon cutting we just had of the new Avenue 66 bridge in Mecca which ties in perfectly with this new park for the community,” said Supervisor V. Manuel Perez. “This park is a vision that dates back to Supervisor Roy Wilson and the Mecca community and continued with Supervisor John J. Benoit. I appreciate the good work of those who came before me and to now be in the position of making sure we get the funding, implement the funding, and construct this bridge and this park. I want to thank our county team, the Desert Recreation District and our partners, and Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia, who helped with Proposition 68 monies and has been a champion on this and many other parks in the Fourth District.”

The construction contract was awarded to Three Peaks Corporation of Calimesa. The project is being led by the Riverside County Facilities Management Department and the architect is Holt Architecture.

Riverside County Facilities Management Director Rose Salgado states, “As a child growing up, I knew how important it was to have a park to go to. We look forward to seeing this park bring families together and having an outdoor place for the community to enjoy.”

Other features of the park include: restrooms, a concession building, lighted picnic shelters with picnic tables, bicycle racks, drinking fountains, perimeter fencing, and trash receptacles.

The $6.7 million project is largely made possible with a $5.8 million state grant from the California Department of Parks and Recreation, awarded to Riverside County in 2020. Other funding sources include Riverside County Transportation Department funding and Community Development Block Grant funding.

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Supervisor V. Manuel Perez represents the eastern two-thirds of Riverside County on the Riverside County Board of Supervisors. Stretching from Palm Springs and Desert Hot Springs, south to the Salton Sea and east to Blythe and the Colorado River, the 4^th District is the largest geographical district in the county.

Supervisor Perez’s office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.