SANTA ANA : $1 Million Received for Parks and Zoo

Although the poor economy has intensified competition for county, state and federal grants, the Department of Parks and Community Services has received more than $1 million in grants for local park and zoo improvements in the last year.

The grants, ranging from $50,000 to $394,000, paid for such projects as a new bird exhibit and automatic irrigation system at the Santa Ana Zoo, refurbishing Madison Park and making Thornton Park barrier-free for the disabled.

In a time of shrinking budgets, the grants have become the sole way to pay for many important programs, said Ron Ono, park landscape design manager. “These grants are really important for the city,” he said. “All these projects wouldn’t have been funded without them.”

He said the money is especially important because Santa Ana’s relatively scant park space takes a beating due to its large population. High traffic and resulting wear and tear mean the parks need significant maintenance and renovation. “The grants allow us to do that,” he said.

The successful application for the grants comes as competition has stiffened for such money. More than 160 cities nationwide vied with Santa Ana last month for a $50,000 federal grant that will be used here to fund PRIDE Teen, aimed at curbing drug and gang crimes, Ono said.

Other projects receiving grants in the past year include the Amazon Edge Exhibit at the Santa Ana Zoo, renovation of Rosita Park and the Centennial Park soccer fields.