'This park is historical': South Stockton's McKinley Park groundbreaking, opens fall 2025
South Stockton's largest municipal park is being renovated.
McKinley Park is a 22-acre park at the corner of El Dorado and Eight Streets. On Tuesday, April 23, Stockton celebrated the McKinley Park Renovation Project with a groundbreaking ceremony in front of the pool house at 2332 S. El Dorado St.
"Today is a great day for Stockton, especially for south Stockton. McKinley Park has a rich history in Stockton dating back to the 1890s," Chad Reed, Public Works director for the City of Stockton, told the crowd.
The estimated cost for the project will be around $15.8 million, according to city officials.
Here is where the money is coming from:
$13.75 million is coming from state funds, including $8.5 million in Proposition 68
$2.7 million in State Budget Act 2021
$1.8 million in State Budget Act 2022
$750,000 from the Transformative Climate Communities Program.
The Record reported in February that money from the city's Measure M Strong Communities Fund will also be allocated to the project.
'This park is historical'
Councilwoman Kimberly Warmsley said the renovation was the largest investment the city has made in south Stockton in recent history.
"I just want to lift up hope. I'm going to lift up restoration. I want to lift up reparations and thank the community that came forward when it was time to talk about design," she said. "When it was time to talk about what the community wanted to see in the park, the community delivered."
She acknowledged Little Manila and Stockton Black Family Day because "this is their history."
"This park is historical. Today, during our tree planting, we will be dedicating this park to the ancestors and the community and all the stakeholders that pour the love and dedication, and commitment to McKinley Park," she said.
A tree-planting ceremony took place during the event, with all city officials present participating.
"I know that there's a narrative about South Stockton that has existed probably all my life, about the community feeling that local government does not care," Warmsley told The Record. "I want residents of south Stockton to know that this is just the beginning of revitalization efforts."
Giving the community what they asked for
Reed described the project's timeline to the crowd:
In four to six months, demolition will begin.
Within six to eight months the foundation work on the pool house and underground utility will begin.
At 12 months the framing of the pool house and the pathways will be installed, and court improvements will be underway.
The project will be completed in 2025.
Read more: After decade-long closure, Stockton's Victory Park pool inches closer to reopening
McKinley Park will remain closed throughout the construction.
However, the former city-run community center in the area, a facility now run by the Stockton Police Youth Activities League will remain open, city officials said.
"This park is going to undergo an entire renovation," city spokesperson Connie Cochran told The Record. "The biggest project is a new refurbished pool and a new pool house...it's so hot here, we really need that facility where kids can learn to swim, and then just cool off."
The park's public swimming pool closed in 2015 due to vandalism, following the closure of the pool at Victory Park closed since 2013, due to the city’s financial crisis and subsequent bankruptcy, The Record previously reported.
Victory Park Pool is also undergoing renovations this year, with construction expected to start in October and to be completed by the summer of 2025.
The park will also have lighted paths and a new covered picnic area for large family gatherings, Cochran said.
"We had meetings with different community groups, they drew pictures of what they wanted to see in the future," she said. "A lot of it were gathering spaces for families, like covered picnic areas, which we will have. And the soccer fields were really important, futsal (courts) was something that people really wanted to see."
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McKinley Park will also include a new play area, restroom, ball fields, basketball courts, new trees, landscaping, updated irrigation, and updated parking, according to the city.
"I think that there's more, so much to come for South Stockton ... this is just the beginning of our story," Warmsley said.
For more information on this project visit stocktonca.gov/McKinleyPark.
Record reporter Angelaydet Rocha covers community news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at arocha@recordnet.com or on Twitter @AngelaydetRocha. To support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.
This article originally appeared on The Record: McKinley Park renovation project
