The renovation of Heather Park has been years in the making. I am so happy to have this project be completed and being enjoyed by the children in our community.
Heather Park is the most used park in College Park East, due partly to its central location. The play equipment is heavily used, and the park is the site for youth sport practices and all College Park East Neighborhood Association’s community events. Its play equipment has endured repeated breaks over the years and replacement parts have become extremely difficult to obtain. An upgrade was long overdue.
The city began the Annual Playground Replacement Program in 2019, adding $50,000 of the Proposition 68 grant funds to the Fiscal Year 19/20 budget to begin planning for the renewal of one of the city’s four oldest playgrounds. That year, I used my discretionary funds to replace the padding around the play equipment at Almond Park, which otherwise was in better condition than Heather Park. That improvement ensured Heather Park’s position to receive some grant funding, helping to begin to plan for its renovation.
In 2020, the COVID pandemic hit and planning for the park came to a halt as city staff had to focus on the pandemic: protecting staff, residents and first responders. Recreation staff went to work to help to make deliveries of meals to seniors shut in at home due to the pandemic.
The Playground Replacement Program was recommenced once COVID stabilized. However, the post-COVID time was a period of supply delays and high inflation, which greatly increased the cost of material and labor to renovate the park. Park Improvements would need to be restricted to the playground area. Funds were eventually cobbled together from the Proposition 68 funds, funding remaining for CPE from Bixby, and monies raised in the city’s Centennial and Founders Day events for adult exercise equipment.
A big thank you to city staff for carefully defining the project and working with the KYA contractor to create a beautiful and fun place for kids to play in our neighborhood. I also wish to thank the Recreation & Parks Commission for their guidance, to CPENA for their input, and to other CPE residents and nannies. It was a combined effort to create a fun new place for all ages to exercise and play.
District Four Council Member Schelly Sustarsic is the 2024 mayor of Seal Beach. She has termed out and will step down in December.
