Chowchilla to start adopt-a-park program

The Chowchilla City Council approved plans last week to roll out an adopt-a-park program, a way to get regular folks to pitch in on cleanup and improvement efforts.

The council unanimously approved the program, which is primarily modeled after an effort in Glendora, a city about 28 miles east of Los Angeles. Councilman Dennis Haworth was absent from the meeting.

Like many Central Valley towns, Chowchilla has seen cuts in its public services in recent years. So the city does not have the same level of funding for maintenance and other park services it once had.

The new program is an attempt to make up for the lack of funding, according to city staff, with volunteers who can take a sort of ownership of individual parks.

Residents can contribute with their time or dollars. The program looks to enlist people or groups in regular cleanup efforts or special projects.

The city has four public parks, according to the city’s website: Veterans Memorial, Edward Ray, Area 15 Skate and RC Wisener parks. They total about 35 acres.

The city already accepts volunteer work and donations from residents, according to city staff, but the new program could help streamline the process and encourage more donations of time, money or materials.

Volunteers and donors could also be publicly recognized and given a plaque, according to city staff.

With the approval, the council directed city staff to develop a handbook that goes along with the program.

This story was originally published August 30, 2015 at 2:54 PM with the headline "Chowchilla to start adopt-a-park program."