For years, Nipomo has waited for a park in Olde Towne while the Jim Miller Park has sat as an empty field. Now, this field will transform thanks to over $1 million coming into the town to help improve local parks and trails.
Michael Haber and his family have lived in Nipomo for 18 years. His daughter Anna said the Jim Miller Park has been an empty field for as long as she can remember.
“Hopefully soon it will be something that the community can really enjoy because a lot of people just walk by here," Haber said. "We have events for Christmas and July 4th. We have parades. So it'd be a great addition to our community.”
Soon, the field will be transformed into the park locals have wanted for decades. A $1.8 million state investment secured by State Senator Monique Limón will go toward revitalizing the park and creating a perimeter trail at Nipomo Community Park.
San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Jimmy Paulding said thanks to the investment, the park will have a veterans memorial, gazebo and a playground.
“[They are] amenities that are designed to kind of create that draw and anchor for the olde towne part of Nipomo," Paulding said. "The east side of Nipomo does not have a park. So this pocket park, which has long been envisioned for this type of community gathering space, is something that we can finally do.”
Paulding said the announcement for these projects comes while he and other local leaders are working on an updated Nipomo community plan, which is set to pave the way for the town’s growth over the next 20 years.
“It's really neat that we can, in parallel, move these projects forward so the community can see that there's a lot in play, a lot of new opportunities on the horizon that really do rely on the partnerships that we have in the community, but that we're able to do the planning and implementation at the same time," he said.
With projects like the park and trail improvements, as well as a new sheriff’s substation and other development in Nipomo, Haber said the town is finally getting its due.
He and his family said they’re excited that they won’t have to go across the highway to get to a community recreation space.
“We live on this side of the freeway," Haber said. "So to get to that park it's a couple minutes drive, not too far, but just something that we can actually walk to ... I think a lot of families will take advantage of that.”
