Russell Park in Santa Maria is back open to the community after a year of renovations.
Staff from the City of Santa Maria's Recreation and Parks Department served coffee and donuts to community members Saturday morning to mark the occasion.
Alex Posada, recreation and parks director for the City of Santa Maria, said several thousand people have used city parks during the coronavirus pandemic to stay healthy.
"I've talked to neighbors coming around right now and a lot of them have been lifetime residents of the neighborhood, and a lot of them grew up with the old park," said Posada. "They're just glad to see the fact that it's been cleaned up and updated."
Renovations to the park include a new playground, restrooms, energy-efficient lighting, water-wise colorful landscaping with an improved irrigation system, a decomposed granite trail and upgraded concrete paths to better accommodate people with disabilities, according to the public information manager of the Santa Maria City Manager's Office.
The Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development's Community Development Block Grant program and the Housing-Related Parks program provided funding for the park renovations.
