City leaders in Grover Beach have found a way to fill an almost $500,000 funding gap for the Ramona Garden Park rehabilitation project.
The excitement is clear for Nan Boshi and her grandson, who spent Friday morning at the 16th Street park located nearby.
“I haven't ever seen one like that, that good," Boshi said. "It's walking distance to our house and to my son and daughter-in-law's house. It's going to be fun.”
According to city staff, there has been a longtime $450,000 funding gap for the $4.1 million project due to changing construction costs.
By Monday, the gap had reduced to $360,000 following change orders and adjustments by the City. Mayor Kassi Dee said they were expecting to have to pull money from the general fund.
“We are so excited to announce that this project has been fully funded without the use of reserves, which is a situation that we thought we were going to be in originally," Dee said.
This funding is now coming from Community Development Block Grants and development impact fees from new buildings in the city.
The Community Foundation also donated $56,000, which was raised from a pavement fundraiser.
Jeff Lee, president of the foundation, said there were over 170 pavers purchased from the community.
“It's an amazing thing that the community has stepped forward," Lee said. "It shows the love that the community has for Grover Beach and for Ramona Garden Park, and the fact that they're going to be able to say, 'I helped to build this'.”
Mayor Dee said $820,000 in funding came from fees that new projects in the area have to pay to help with local infrastructure. Erin Wiggin has worked on the park rehabilitation project since 2019 as the city's Capital Improvement Program manager.
“We've had a flurry of development activity in Grover Beach, which means developers pay the those impact fees," Wiggin said.
Boshi said, though she’s not the biggest fan of new developments in the city, she’s happy the community is benefitting from them.
“That's much more encouraging," Boshi said. "If they're going to contribute to the city of Grover Beach, that kind of changes my perspective.”
Mayor Dee said the park is anticipated to open in June, just in time for the summer concert series.
