Here is an artist’s rendition of the renovated and expanded Westacre Park after construction is completed, possibly later this year. Graphic courtesy of City of West Sacramento.

WEST SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) – If everything goes according to plans, by this time next year, West Sacramento residents and especially children could be enjoying recreating and playing at a revitalized Westacre Park.

At its Feb. 19 meeting, West Sacramento City Council passed a resolution authorizing the city manager to enter into a construction contract with Abide Builders, Inc. for the Westacre Park Renovation and Expansion Project. Abide Builders, Inc was the lowest bidder in December for the project at $5,988,280, with the contract allowing amendments of up to 7% of the project cost, $419,179.57.

Total cost of the project is tabbed at $8,511,751, which includes $489,902 paid to the Melton Design Group for park design. The project is funded mostly by a $7.843-million grant from the California Department of Parks and Recreation’s Statewide Park Development and Community Revitalization Program, aka Proposition 68, which the city applied for in June 2019.

In praising the project, Councilwoman Quirina Orozco said that there are many “great parks” in the city.

“However, I think that this one, once constructed and completed, will be one of the destination locations for kids in our community,” Orozco said.

Located at 1755 Evergreen Ave. in the newly-formed Council District 2, Westacre Park is owned by the Washington Unified School District but improved and maintained by the city through a joint use agreement. Current amenities at the five-acre park include an outdated skate park, basketball court, unshaded play structure and turf areas for soccer and other sports.

The project will remove the old skatepark and install a new one that includes a pump track, updated basketball court and play fields, new shaded play equipment, shaded seating area, splash pad, multi-use sports courts for pickleball and futsal, climbing wall, lighting, a restroom built to also support the athletic fields and enhanced landscaping.

While the project report stated existing warehouse buildings at the east end of the park would be removed, Capital Projects Department project manager Megan Gideon said that the plan calls for using them in some fashion as “industrial aspects of the skatepark.” Gideon also mentioned several unique features of the park, such as the play structure designed as a school bus taking flight and “little robot” figures placed strategically around the park “to emulate city workers.”

This artist’s conception shows the new play structure planned for Westacre Park. In the foreground to the left is one of the “little robot” figures designed to resemble city workers. Graphic courtesy of City of West Sacramento.

Another unique feature will be a reflexology path and labyrinth. The Rotary Club of West Sacramento gifted $150,000 from the Sutter Health Investment Program to support creating the path and labyrinth.

According to online health sources, unlike a maze, a labyrinth has one path leading to the center, allowing those who walk it to “think and gather their thoughts.” Reflexology paths are usually constructed with rounded river stones set into concrete. Walking barefoot on the stones can help to “lesson tension and lower blood pressure.”

West Sacramento City Manager Aaron Laurel praised the project design teams for their work. Laurel said that one of the biggest aspects of the renovation and expansion is the Prop 68 grant.

“Besides the recent grants for Bright Park, I believe it’s probably the second biggest grant ever for a park facility, allowing us to rebuild the entire thing,” Laurel said. “This is a monumental lift to get this park rebuilt.”

Park funding also includes $118,751 from the city’s Park Improvement Fund.

Gideon said staff would meet with Abide Builders, Inc. the week of Feb. 24 to 28 on details of commencing the project. While tabbed to wrap up in May 2026, Gideon said that it could be sooner.

“Our hope is that with the timeline, we should be completed with construction by the end of this year,” Gideon told City Council.