Supervisor Perez Praises State Park Grant to Build First-Ever Park in Thermal

THERMAL – Riverside County Supervisor V. Manuel Perez cheers the award of a $4.5 million state park grant to the Desert Recreation District for the development of the first community park in Thermal, announced by California Governor Gavin Newsom, the California Natural Resources Agency and the California Department of Parks and Recreation this afternoon.

“This is a major victory for the community of Thermal! This is exciting to receive this funding to develop the first park for Thermal. This community park is much needed, as the nearest parks to Thermal are currently in the City of Coachella or six miles southeast in Mecca. These funds are a wonderful investment in the quality of life and health of our community.

“Riverside County has been working for many years with the Desert Recreation District to advance the vision of this park, including donating land. The park will be in the heart of Thermal, in close proximity to the Jerry Rummonds Senior and Community Center and the Coachella Valley Unified School District, bringing opportunities for outdoor recreation and activities for the families and children of the community.

“I look forward to working with the Desert Recreation District and the Thermal community to get this done for the community, and I thank the State of California, Governor Gavin Newsom and his ‘Outdoors for All’ initiative, and especially our parks champion, State Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia, for this amazing news!”

In addition to the $4.5 million for the Thermal park, the cities of Cathedral City, Coachella and Indio were among the jurisdictions throughout the Coachella Valley, Riverside County and California that were awarded funding for park projects today (list).

In 2017, Riverside County completed the transfer of an approximately 4.38-acre parcel from the county to the Desert Recreation District for a future community park. The land is located between Church Street and Olive Street in Thermal, across the street from the Jerry Rummonds Senior and Community Center. The district is seeking to acquire five additional acres to make it a 10‑acre park.

With major county and state support, the Desert Recreation District has built the five-acre North Shore Community Park in 2018 and the first, 2.5-acre, phase of Oasis del Desierto (Oasis of the Desert) Park in the community of Oasis, which was dedicated in October 2021. The district is in the planning stages of the Thermal Community Park, and this grant will help move the project forward to construction after the design process is completed.

Riverside County is also utilizing a $5.8 million grant from the State of California for the Mecca Regional Sports Park, which will bring further green space and recreation next to the Boys and Girls Club in the community of Mecca.

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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.