North County : $1.6 Million in Park Improvements Approved

By a unanimous vote, county supervisors have approved a $1.6-million plan to add softball fields, picnic grounds and equestrian trails to the Ralph B. Clark Regional Park.

Supervisor Don R. Roth, who pushed for the project, said residents of his 4th District have long needed more playing fields. He called the park “a recreational jewel” for county residents.

The improvements, on a 27-acre section of the 98-acre park, will provide three lighted softball fields, two soccer fields, a concession building, a system of pedestrian and equestrian trails and a park with horseshoe pits, volleyball courts and a softball field. Formerly known as Los Coyotes Regional Park, the Ralph B. Clark Regional Park was named after the longtime county supervisor who retired in January. The park straddles the borders of Fullerton and Buena Park.

Federal, state and local money will pay for the project. Funding includes a $220,000 federal Land and Water Conservation grant, $450,000 from the state Park Bond Act and $250,000 from the county’s Harbors, Beaches and Parks budget, with the remainder from adjustments to the five-year-capital improvements plan for the county’s Environmental Management Agency, a spokesman for Roth said.