Ramona
Garden Park
Construction
Update
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Erin Wiggin, CIP Manager
Ramona Garden Park
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Background
• Multi-use, two-acre park that includes the Ramona Garden Park Center, exterior public restrooms, an open plaza area with a dance floor and a large open turf area
• Focal point for many activities in Grover Beach and the South County including the Stone Soup Music Festival, Summer Concert Series, and Holiday Events
• Park is centrally located in the city with access to Grand Avenue businesses
Ramona Garden Park
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Background
• Council adopted the Master Plan in late 2020 after extensive public outreach on park improvements including the playground
• Master Plan provides a high level “road map” for the City to guide future park improvements over a multi-year period
• Long envisioned improvements including playground facility to activate park • Master Plan has been refined as the design progressed towards construction phasing of this project
• Four phases of improvements with Phase 1 encompassing the playground and restroom and Phase 2 featuring amphitheater and bandshell
Ramona Garden Park
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• March 2024- City secured a $3.15 million Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
• December 2024- Council received initial project update and approved a Community Donation Policy to help provide additional funding along with authorizing General Fund reserves if needed
• April 2025- Council approved the construction contract • June 2025- Construction started
• October 2025 – Council received project update highlighting initial construction activities, community donations, and memorials Ramona Garden Park
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Construction
• Earthwork and grading
• Concrete slabs and walkways
• Utility work
• Installation of the restroom building
• Installation of the playground equipment and
surfacing
• Ongoing irrigation and landscaping work
• Bandshell construction
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Ramona Garden Park
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Community Donation
• Funding from Parks Construction Fund, Parks DIF,
and Recreation DIF along with CDBG funding
• $450,000 funding gap with use of General Fund
reserves if needed to close gap though community
donation program was started
• Grover Beach Community Foundation has
generated $56,000 in proceeds to help with the
funding gap (173 pavers sold and two benches)
• City continues to work with prospective donors for a
large donation for the naming rights for the
bandshell *Rainy day photo
Ramona Garden Park
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Memorial Plaques, Benches, and Trees
• Plaques and benches installed over many years throughout the park along with numerous trees planted
• Conflicts with placement of these plaques, benches, and trees raised with the Council and the Parks, Recreation and Beautification Commission (PRBC) during project design process from 2020-2024 • Determined that transitioning these memorials to commemorative pavers was better suited for revised park configuration and amenities Ramona Garden Park
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Memorial Plaques, Benches, and Trees
• Council directed staff to work with the six families that were affected to select new memorials to honor their loved ones (in addition to providing pavers for the families)
• Staff has worked with families to select the memorials and the locations and to document this with agreements between the families and the city accurate record keeping
• The estimated cost for these items is $7,500
Ramona Garden Park
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Fiscal Impact
• CDBG Grant provided $3,150,000 for construction
• Council has allocated $461,000 from the Parks Construction Fund, Parks Development Impact Fee Fund, and the Recreation Impact Fee Fund.
• Estimated funding shortfall of $450,000
• Council has previously authorized the use of General Fund reserves to close this gap and authorized a Community Donation Program with the Grover Beach Community Foundation to help offset this gap Ramona Garden Park
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Fiscal Impact
• Staff has diligently managed change orders and adjusted the scope to help reduce the funding gap to $360,000
• Staff has also further reviewed recent DIF accruals based on current development activity and determined there is sufficient DIF revenues to cover this gap
• General Fund reserves are not projected to be needed to fund construction barring any unforeseen project changes
• Staff will recommend Council allocate an additional $156,418 from the Parks Construction Fund and $204,677 from the Parks DIF Ramona Garden Park
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Fiscal Impact
• $3,150,000 CDBG Funds
• $461,000 DIF Funds Previously Allocated
• $50,000 Donations
• $360,000 Additional DIF Funds
• With Council concurrence, staff will recommend this allocation to the project as part of the FY 2026-27 budget presented in June • Final accounting for the project will be determined once construction is complete
Ramona Garden Park
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Questions or Comments?
Bandshell and Restroom
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