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Council Approves Park Expansion Plan, 5-0
Park

 

Following a sparsely attended final public input session on the Hogan-Ennis Park expansion plans, members of the Escalon City Council on Monday night gave their approval to move forward with the project.

Now comes the work of both finding financing and determining how best to phase in the project.

The park meeting began at 6 p.m. in the council chambers on McHenry Avenue, with Michael Rosales of O’Dell Engineering and Miguel Ramirez of Drake Haglan and Associates on hand to review the plan and outline some minor changes made based on comments received at a previous meeting in March.

“There was more detail put into it,” Rosales noted of the final master plan for the Hogan-Ennis Community Park.

“There were some questions but nothing major,” added Ramirez, noting that most people attended the earlier session at the city’s Community Center to view the plan and offer suggestions.

The council purchased a little over 19 acres of land last October that will allow for expansion at the park and include development of the long-awaited skatepark for the community.

City Manager Tammy Alcantor said that with funds already raised by the skatepark committee, they can move ahead with their part of the project. Once the skatepark is done, it will be turned over to the city. But with the committee working on financing, it likely will be done in one of the earliest project phases.

The expanded park area will include additional parking, basketball, soccer and baseball fields, a new playground, added barbecue pits and shade shelters, a scorekeeper’s booth for baseball with a new concession area, batting cages, adult exercise equipment and more.

“Now we’ll do the funding and prioritize on phasing,” Alcantor added after the 5-0 vote of the council to approve the plan came during the regular council session. “I think everybody’s happy with it.”

The expanded area will be both north and west of the existing Escalon Community Center and park area, with the skatepark situated just north of the Escalon Feed and Supply property, facing Escalon-Bellota Road.