- Video shows how the future renovations to Kovacevich Park will benefit the youth in the community.
- The improvements are made possible through Prop 68, which granted the city approximately two million dollars for the park.
- According to city officials, construction is expected to start immediately and is projected to be completed in the fall.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
If you look around this park, you'll see some areas that could use an upgrade. Outfield grass, parking lots, restrooms, but a statewide program is providing funds to help make changes.
Kovacevich Park is home to the Arvin Travel Force Baseball Team, I caught up with the team's coach who told me how these changes will benefit the team.
"It's a big opportunity," said Arvin Force Coach Ralph Contreras, "We go up and down California seeing different cities with nicer parks and we finally get to have the opportunity to play in a nice field here."
Along with Arvin Force, Kovacevich Park is also home to the Arvin Little League and one of its main concerns is not having any lights for its smaller field—something that will soon change.
"In the day, Arvin Little League was famous everyone loved coming here," stated Arvin City Manager and Finance Director Jeff Jones, "The park was immaculate and we had a lot of youth that enjoyed it. Over the years it degraded and needed to be given a face-lift."
A face-lift that Jones says is set to start immediately thanks to Prop 68—a measure passed in 2018, authorizing four million dollars in general bonds to improve local parks, and projects for the environment, water, infrastructure, and flood protection.
Through that measure, Jones says in 2019, Kovacevich Park Field of Dreams received an approximately two million dollar grant from the California Department of Parks and Recreation.
"The bad news is that because it's five years later, the cost is 2.7 million, so the City is having to come up with seven hundred thousand from other sources," said the City Manager.
To cover the remaining seven thousand dollars not covered by the grant, Jones says Arvin will use part of its covid funds.
The new design includes a new playground, a renovated basketball court, two baseball fields, walking paths, two restrooms, picnic areas, and a parking lot.
With the improvements to come, Contreras says he hopes more youth in the community become interested in coming out to the park and playing ball.
"Every year we get about 200 families out here participating and with a better field and better park hopefully we can get more," said Contreras.
According to the city, the park is expected to be completed this Fall.
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