- The city of Arvin received a $2 million grant to renovate Kovacevich Park.
- Upgrades include a new playground, basketball court, baseball fields, walking paths, restrooms, picnic areas, and a parking lot.
- Construction delays have pushed the opening date to December 12th.
- The park is home to the Arvin Little League and Arvin Force Travel Baseball teams.
- Community leaders hope the improvements will encourage more children to participate in sports.
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BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A renovated basketball court, two baseball fields, and walking paths are just some of the new improvements at Kovacevich Park in Arvin. After being under construction for the past six months, it was slated to open on Thursday but remains closed due to construction delays.
Kovacevich Park is known for being the home of the Arvin Little League and Arvin Force Travel Baseball teams.
In July of this year, the park was gated as it was scheduled to receive major upgrades thanks to Prop 68—a measure passed in 2018, authorizing four million dollars in general bonds to improve local parks among other things. Through Prop 68, the city received a grant worth approximately two million dollars to renovate the park.
The new design includes a new playground, a renovated basketball court, two baseball fields, walking paths, two restrooms, picnic areas, and a parking lot. And though the park is yet to be completed, the community's baseball teams say they are eager to return to their home field for the upcoming season.
"This is super exciting for our small community it opens so many doors for our local travel team and local Little League program," said Arvin Little League Vice president Marisa Barrera. "We can now host tournaments and offer a safer, cleaner environment for the kids. The new lights in the small field are something we are most excited about, our younger players will benefit from this so much."
Originally, the upgrades were expected to be completed by the beginning of December, but due to incomplete tasks, the date has been pushed back several times. With the upgrades, both teams say they hope children are encouraged to participate in community sports, especially now that spring registration is open for the Little League.
"We are really excited about this new chapter in our community. I feel like it's going to help get more kids involved and get more kids off the streets," said Jason Torres, Arvin Little League Board Member.
The city says the new expected completion date is Thursday, December 12th.
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