City of Merced breaks ground at location of new community park and sports complex

Merced city leaders, employees and community members gathered Wednesday to break ground on a new community park, which is slated to become a regional sports complex.

The nearly 40-acre Community Park 42 is located at the corner of Mission Avenue and Tyler Road in south Merced.

According to Mayor Matthew Serratto, about $8.3 million of the total $26.4 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding the city received will be used to fund the project.

Additionally, $650,000 is coming from the Merced County Office of Education for a futsal court; $350,000 from First Five for the construction of the playground, and money from the state through Prop 68 to pay for the restrooms.

Serratto said the county also contributed about $1.5 million toward the design and engineering of an adjacent 40-acre parcel owned by the Merced Union High School District.

The land for the park was acquired by the city in the 2000s and unlike other cities that used federal funding to fill gaps or to stop shortfalls, Merced was in a position to make investments due to years of responsible management of city funds, Serratto said.

Serratto said he’s proud and honored to play a part in the project and proud to see so many people in the community come together.

“Not just for the City of Merced but for the entire county and for the entire region, this project’s a game-changer,” he said. “It checks so many boxes. Not just sports and sports fields, but it’s also activities for youth, positive activities for youth. It’s an economic development piece, it’s a south Merced development piece. This is a way to spur development in the region, this also is a way to bring investment to this area.”

The park’s proximity to Highway 59 and Highway 99, gives it the potential to serve as a catalyst for economic development while still serving the fundamental purpose of providing a first class regional sports complex, according to city leaders.

“All our kids, all our parents, all our families who leave the area quite often on weekends to go to tournaments, they take their money out of town,” said Serratto. “Now we can hopefully change that narrative, flip the switch and bring it back here. We can host tournaments and the economic benefits of that, the economic benefits of having all that in our community, as well.”

Serratto said the complex has the potential to spur housing and commercial development in the area.

Upon its completion, the park is expected to feature soccer and football fields, outdoor basketball courts, a futsal court, tennis and pickle ball courts, as well as sand volleyball courts. The park will also feature a perimeter walking path, pavilions, inclusive playgrounds, concessions and restroom facilities, as well as water efficient landscaping.

“This is a tremendous investment in south Merced,” said City Manager Stephanie Dietz. “South Merced is our most park-rich area of the city, however the facilities are smaller in nature because they’re more neighborhood parks. This offers a very large community park with every amenity that anyone could ask for.”

Phase one of the project’s construction is expected to be completed late 2024 and will include the construction of basic pieces of infrastructure, such as parking lots, restrooms and concessions, as well as lighted tournament rated soccer fields, basketball, pickle ball, futsal and tennis courts.

This story was originally published July 26, 2023 at 5:29 PM.