Input from several sources is being considered and a draft design is being developed for future expansion at Escalon’s Hogan-Ennis Park.

With additional acreage purchased by the city for the expansion, the park is expected to one day include a skate park area and residents interested in learning more about the proposal will get a chance to look at the design next month.

Earlier this month, members of the Escalon City Council, Planning Commission, Recreation Commission and Parks Foundation gathered for a meeting to discuss the new park land acquisition and develop ideas for the design.

“The initial meeting for the park design went well,” noted City Manager Tammy Alcantor. “We have contracted with Drake Haglan and Associates who has also enlisted the assistance of the local architecture firm O’Dell Engineering in Modesto.”

At the first meeting, the consultant presented a preliminary design that was established based on staff input and then opened it up for more ideas.

“We took input from the City Council, Planning Commission, Recreation Commission, Parks Foundation and others that were present at the meeting,” Alcantor added. “The consultant will take those comments and incorporate them into the draft design.”

Drake Haglan and Associates, based in Rancho Cordova, also has an office in Modesto and is working on other local projects as well, including the North County Corridor expressway in neighboring Stanislaus County.

Once the firm has incorporated ideas for the Escalon park, representatives will be back for a scheduled late March meeting to outline the draft design.

“That will be presented on (Wednesday) March 23 at 6 p.m. at the Community Center where public comment will be taken on the layout and activities being proposed at the current Hogan-Ennis Park along with the recently purchased expansion area,” Alcantor explained. “After the public meeting the goal is to incorporate any potential changes or modifications and present a final design to the City Council for adoption.”

Meanwhile, the city was slated to host a special meeting Tuesday night, Feb. 23 – after The Times went to press – regarding the proposed temporary roundabout on McHenry Avenue during a bridge replacement project over the Stanislaus River.

Originally slated for the council chambers on McHenry, officials decided to move that meeting to the city’s Community Center, anticipating a large crowd for the session.

The roundabout would be placed at McHenry Avenue and River Road – an intersection that is currently controlled by a four-way stop.

Officials from the San Joaquin County Public Works Department were slated to be on hand for the Tuesday night meeting to make a presentation regarding the roundabout plan. According to county officials, this will be a temporary solution until construction of the new five-lane bridge and roadway improvements at the bridge over the Stanislaus River is complete, spanning San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. The construction project will also include a new traffic signal at the McHenry/River intersection, when it occurs – with the schedule currently anticipating a start in the summer of 2017.