As a long-time resident of Los Banos, I am pleased to hear about the planned renovation of the Colorado Park complex. In truth, I’m pleased to hear news of any park development, because I believe parks are an important part of a community’s quality of life.
The plan for Colorado Park is particularly pleasing to me because, when I first moved to Los Banos in 1971, my wife Susan, our one-year-old daughter Ginny and I lived across the street from the park.
We enjoyed the park’s spirit, because we would regularly hear an announcer give us updates on the games across the street, which then included not only Little League games but adult softball as well (since the Ag Sports Complex on Mercey Springs Road had yet to be built.)
We had friendly and congenial neighbors, too, including John (a local barber) next to us on one side door and a retired couple on the other side. Two doors down one way were the Climers, who had a daughter the same age as Ginny, and two doors down the other way were the Gardners, Betty and Jim and their young sons.
My experiences of Colorado Park continued vivid when a few years later four tennis courts were built west of the central ball field, thanks to a contribution from Merced College. In the mid-1970’s tennis was big, epitomized by the nationally televised “Battle of the Sexes” between Bobby Riggs and Billie Jean King.
I used those courts a lot, day and evening, because at that time one of the courses I taught at the Los Banos Campus of Merced College was beginning tennis, and we had large enrollments in morning, afternoon and evening classes in fall, spring and summer.
My children also enjoyed coming to the tennis courts after my afternoon classes, first just running around, and then playing tennis. My son Mike took to tennis, and he went on to play the sport for Los Banos High School and, along with his partner Gino Indart, won the section doubles championship for the Tigers.
Later I would watch Ginny and her young sister Megan play softball on the ball fields, often on cold and windy evenings, and still later saw Megan umpire Little League games in that complex.
I learned how much people of all ages enjoy a park like that, from kids playing T-ball to grandparents in the stands watching their grandkids. What was true back then is still true today: people like parks.
In recent years I’ve also realized how much the Colorado Park complex needs renovation. It has had a lot of use over the years, especially with the addition of a skateboard area. Wear and tear have worn it down.
I also realize the projected cost of renovating the park, as much as $15 million, is a sizable sum, but I believe it’s worth it. The renovation plan will need to include good fencing and traffic flow patterns to ensure the people across the street feel safe and secure. I believe the large investment in the complex will pay sizable dividends not just for years, but for decades.
It will take a lot of work and planning, not only to develop three ball fields from the ground up, but also to find alternate fields for Little League games to continue. But I have faith in Los Banos’ Park and Recreation Director Joe Heim and his staff, including veteran park professionals like Mike O’Brien.
There is still much to be done before the renovation starts, let alone is completed. The project got a kick start when the Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria helped the city acquire a $1 million grant from the state. And the city has funds saved over the years in its park development fund, largely due to the passage of Measure H a few years ago.
But Heim still needs to find a few million dollars more, which he’s hoping to acquire by applying for grants. But as anyone who has ever applied for a grant knows, there’s a big difference between applying for a grant and getting it.
Still, I have confidence he’ll find the money, and once he does create a plan so that Little League games go on without a glitch at different fields in town during the renovation.
I can see the day years from now when the park complex is complete: Kids are playing on all three fields, other kids are skateboarding, and the sounds of people enjoying a park drift across the street to the home I once lived in.
John Spevak’s email is john.spevak@gmail.com
