ANAHEIM : Improvements Planned for Park

The dry, dead grass that is now the southern border of Boysen Park is expected to be replaced by green lawn, a soccer field and a sand play area for children.

The 5 1/2-acre renovation, set to begin next fall, will also include picnic facilities to accommodate about 100 people.

“A lot of our parks are becoming middle-aged,” said Jack Kudron, parks superintendent. About 60 smaller projects to renovate various features of the city’s 40 community and neighborhood parks are under way, he said.

Boysen Park is one of the city’s older community parks. Built on State College Boulevard in the central part of the city in the mid-1950s, it is named after the city’s first superintendent of parks, Rudolph Boysen, developer of the boysenberry.

The City Council gave the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department approval this month to begin the next planning phase for the estimated $500,000 project.

Currently, the 24-acre park has three regulation athletic fields, including an immaculately groomed baseball diamond, picnic areas, open play fields and a privately operated tennis center.

Planners estimate that if construction begins next fall, the renovations should be completed by the end of the following summer.

Kudron said additional improvements are planned for Boysen and other city parks. Those include making all park restrooms accessible to the handicapped, replacing worn-out play equipment, establishing more water-efficient irrigation systems and increasing the amount of security lighting.