Parks and Rec

Board Approves New Playground Equipment, Sunshades For 18 County Parks

playground
Cooling sunshades are coming soon to Lamar County Park and other County parks.
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Staying fit, enjoying nature and just playing around will soon be cooler and more fun at 18 County parks after the Board of Supervisors approved installing new sunshade structures and playground equipment.

County supervisors voted unanimously Wednesday to spend $1.4 million to install 11 fabric shade-sail structures at 10 County parks to keep visitors cooler and prolong the life of playground equipment, and to spend roughly $3.6 million to install 12 new or replacement playgrounds at 10 parks. Two parks in El Cajon, Flinn Springs County Park and Steele Canyon County Park, will get both sunshade structures and playground equipment.

County Parks officials anticipate construction on the new amenities to begin this summer and be ready for use this fall.

The 18 parks are located in nine communities — Chula Vista, Del Mar, El Cajon, Julian, Lakeside, Pine Valley, Ramona, San Diego and Spring Valley — and range in size from the one-half acre neighborhood Hillsdale County Park in El Cajon to the 929-acre William Heise County Park in Julian.

The County Parks and Recreation Department operates 150 facilities predominantly in the unincorporated county, 56,000 acres of parkland and more than 380 miles of trails. The facilities include local and regional parks, camping parks, historic park sites, fishing lakes and ecological preserves. The County also owns the site of the San Diego Botanic Garden in Encinitas.

County Parks operates more than 100 playground facilities at parks open year round to promote health and wellness. Many of those playground facilities are in communities that can get hot in the summer — over 100 degrees — which can dissuade people from using them during the hottest times of the day. New shade structures over those play areas will make it easier beat the heat and enjoy the parks. The shade-sails will also prevent the sun’s ultraviolet rays from deteriorating the playground equipment, extending its lifespan.

The new playground equipment will replace existing playgrounds, or portions of existing playgrounds, that range in age from 11 years to 43 years. The new playgrounds will meet or exceed the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act to be accessible to all people.

Here’s a list of the all the parks and the planned improvements:

Sunshade Structures

Eucalyptus County Park: 9125 Edgewood Drive, Spring Valley. The park offers a pavilion, open lawn areas, picnic areas, horseshoe pits, and playgrounds. The project will add new shade structures to the existing pre-school and school age playgrounds.

Goodland Acres County Park: 8848 Troy Street, Spring Valley. The park offers picnic areas, a basketball court and playground. The project will add a new shade structures to the existing school age playground.

Hilton Head County Park: 1605 Hilton Head Road, El Cajon. The park offers a multi-use sports field, basketball courts, exercise stations, shaded picnic areas, a splash pad, and playground. The project will add new shade structures to the existing pre-school and school age playgrounds.

Lamar County Park: 3180 Bancroft Drive, Spring Valley. The park offers a pavilion, open lawn areas, an off-leash dog area, picnic areas, and playground. The project will add new shade structures to the existing school age playground.

4S Ranch Liberty County Park: 17750 Hunters Ridge Road, 4S Ranch community, San Diego. The park offers a pavilion, open lawn areas, a ballfield, a basketball court, picnic areas, and playground. The project will add new shade structure to the existing school age playground.

4S Ranch Patriot Park: 10502 Paseo De Linda, 4S Ranch community, San Diego. The park offers a walking/hiking trail, open lawn areas, a basketball court, picnic areas, and playground. The project will add a new shade structure to the existing school age playground.

Pine Valley County Park: 28810 Old Highway 80, Pine Valley. The park offers a multi-use sports field, a basketball court, a tennis court exercise, pavilion, picnic areas, horseshoe pits, and playground. The project will add a new shade structure to the existing school age playground.

San Dieguito County Park: 1628 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Del Mar. The park offers a baseball field, basketball courts, wedding gazebo, shaded picnic areas, hiking trails, and playground. The project will add a new shade structure to the existing school age playground.

Playgrounds

Agua Caliente County Park: 39555 Great Southern Overland Stage Route of 1849, Julian. The park offers the public a variety of recreational activities and amenities including natural spring pools, picnic areas, hiking trails, as well as tent, cabin and RV campsites. The project will replace a 43-year-old playground that was removed as part of an earlier park improvement project. The new playground will be installed under an elevated solar panel array that will provide shade for the playground.

Dos Picos County Park: 17583 Dos Picos Park Road, Ramona. The park offers camping, fishing, soccer fields, enclosed pavilions, picnic areas, playgrounds, and horseshoe pits. The project will replace portions of an existing 15-year-old playground with new playground equipment and add a new playground for children ages 2-5.

Hillsdale County Park: 1301 Brabham, El Cajon. The park offers picnic areas and two playgrounds. The project will replace both existing 26-year-old playgrounds with new playground equipment.

Lakeside Baseball Park: 10030 Marathon Parkway, Lakeside. The park offers four baseball fields, a playground, and a multi-purpose trail. The project will replace the existing 11-year-old playground with a new playground that will include baseball themed playground equipment.

Lindo Lake County Park: 12660 Lindo Lane, Lakeside. The park offers softball field, tennis courts, picnic areas, a dance ramada, a skate park, fitness stations, multi-use trails, a lake, a butterfly garden, and playgrounds. The project will replace two existing 15-year-old playgrounds with new playground equipment.

Otay Lakes County Park: 2270 Wueste Road, Chula Vista. The park offers the public a variety of recreational activities and amenities including hiking trails, picnic areas, horseshoe pits, native plant, and demonstration gardens, and two playgrounds. The playgrounds are located near a butterfly garden and under jacaranda trees that provide natural shade. The project will replace both existing 20-year-old playgrounds with new playgrounds that will include butterfly and tree themed playground equipment.

Vallecito County Park: 37349 Great Southern Overland Stage Route of 1849, Julian in the Anza-Borrego Desert. The park offers the public a variety of recreational activities and amenities including the reconstructed historic Butterfield Stage Station, hiking trails, as well as tent and equestrian campsites. The existing playground is more than 40 years old. Routine maintenance and repair are no longer able to extend the serviceable life of the playground. The project will replace the existing 43-year-old playground with a new playground that will include desert themed playground equipment.

William Heise County Park: 4945 Heise Park Road, Julian. The park offers camping, hiking and equestrian trails, picnic areas, and playgrounds. The project will replace the existing 15-year-old playground with a new playground.

Sunshades and Playground Equipment

Flinn Springs County Park: 14787 Old Highway 80, El Cajon. The park offers hiking trails, ballfields, picnic areas, a wedding gazebo, two playgrounds and a swing area. The project will add a new shade structures to the existing school age playground. It will also replace portions of the existing 18-year-old playground and swing area with new playground equipment.

Steele Canyon County Park: 2925 Steele Canyon Road, El Cajon. The park offers a multi-use sports field, tennis courts, basketball courts, shaded picnic areas, and playgrounds. The project will add new shade structures to the existing preschool and school age playgrounds. It will also replace the existing 20-year-old playground with a new one.

For more information about County parks, go to the County Parks and Recreation webpage.

Gig Conaughton is a communications specialist with the County of San Diego Communications Office. Contact