San Joaquin County supervisor plans for security updates at community parks
A San Joaquin County supervisor is looking at several improvements to neighborhood parks that will also make things safer.
Supervisor Mario Gardea says nightly security patrols have been in place for a few months to discourage vandalism and improve overall safety, but they're also moving forward on fencing projects and upgraded lighting throughout community parks.
"When I was a kid, we was (sic) able to go to all the different parks and play and not have to worry about the surroundings," Stockton resident Cody, who only wanted to be identified by his first name, shared. "Now these kids can't even come and sit in the park like we used to."
Cody was born and raised in Stockton. Growing up, parks were his go-to spot to see friends and play sports.
Now, he says he doesn't feel comfortable taking his kids to the same parks he used to enjoy.
"The grass is not even green. You got homeless all over the place. It's not safe. The playgrounds are not good," he said.
Cody isn't the only resident who feels the same way about county and city-run parks.
"No bathrooms and no garbage cans," Stockton resident Lisa, who only wanted to be identified by her first name, explained. "Those are needed, especially if they're selling food. Makes you think, 'Are you washing your hands before you're cooking that food?'"
That type of feedback has made its way to the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors. Now, they're in the process of change.
"We don't have a working bathroom," District One Supervisor Mario Gardea said. "There's a little league there, so our kids don't have the ability to go to the bathroom in the middle of a baseball game. That was one of the things that I when I got in this office, I wanted to get an update on where we're at with our bathrooms."
Along with installing "smart restrooms" in several county parks, Gardea said the patrol, fencing and lighting improvements are already happening.
But there is still some work that needs time.
"Once we have security, once we actually get back to the maintenance of the parks, then we're going to start looking at updating playgrounds, maybe putting in an escape park, or, you know, maybe some water features for our parks," Supervisor Gardea said. "Until we can secure our parks and make sure that our parks are safe and clean, we can invest that in there. That's going to be good for the upcoming years."
The county said it adopted the funding for these projects in February, and it is part of their budget this year. They plan to spend a total of nearly $9 million on upgrading parks across San Joaquin County, with some projects set to be completed by the end of the year.