Group’s Bid for Park Closer to Completion

Residents near Betsy Ross Elementary School banded together four years ago to get a park built in their neighborhood. Their hopes may be realized soon: City officials have approved the purchase of a 6-acre parcel between Santa Ana Street and Manchester Avenue for the project.

“We’ve fought to get the park there,” said Julia Campos, a 39-year resident of the neighborhood. “There’s no other place for the kids to play.”

The city will buy the land with $1.6 million from federal grants. Escrow is expected to close in December, officials said.

“It’s a victory for the community,” said Seferino Garcia, volunteer executive director of the residents group, called Solevar, Spanish for “to rise up.”

Among the aims of the nonprofit group is to empower the neighborhood’s Chicano residents. The first goal is to develop a community and youth center and gymnasium at the park site, Garcia said.

Residents also want to name the park, next to the school, after longtime community leader Richard Ornelas.

Garcia said residents will lobby the city to pay for amenities and will also solicit corporate sponsors to offset the cost of building a gym.

“We want a center where kids can get educated and prepared for the 21st century,” Garcia said. “We want this center so they can enrich themselves and learn about their culture and to bring in resources for our elders.”

City park planner Richard Mayer said that the final design for the park has not yet been drawn up. The city is applying for a federal Housing and Urban Development loan to pay for development costs, he said. The loan would be repaid with federal grants.

Residents said a community center would help to alleviate social problems in the area.

“Our main goal is to combat gang problems and educate youth not to go in that direction, to get them to graduate from high school, go to college or to vocational or occupational training,” Garcia said. “And we want them to come back to the community and work and become role models.”