The Orion Online

Issue date: 5/16/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Bill Branch Gailey Luther DeGarmo Park is scheduled to open the first week of June. It currently has three softball fields and room for two soccer fields. [Click to enlarge]

Students will have a new place to play when they return to classes after summer vacation.

The 11-acre Gailey Luther DeGarmo Park, located north of East Avenue on the Esplanade, will open to the public during the first week of June.

The first phase of the park is finished, said Jake Preston, assistant superintendent of parks and facilities for Chico Area Recreation District.

CARD will complete the park in different stages and add more components as funding becomes available.

The first phase includes three softball fields and leaves room for two soccer fields.

The park will eventually have an aquatic facility, outdoor basketball courts, soccer and softball fields, two playgrounds and a recreation center, Preston said. The park will cover 36 acres when all phases are complete in several years.

The park is in the middle of its 60-day maintenance period, which holds contractors accountable for failed irrigation systems or dead plants, he said.

The property was purchased eight to 10 years ago, but construction didn't begin until last fall because of a lack of funding, Preston said.

Junior Alfredo Chavez of Chico is excited about the park because he has lived near the location for almost 10 years, he said.

"I always have to drive to 20th Street Park," he said. "This park will save me a lot of gas money because I can bike there if I want."

Chavez, 22, grew up playing organized soccer and football games with his friends at Community Park. He thinks parks play a role in shaping people's lives because they provide activities that may keep them out of trouble, he said.

Chavez was too busy running around in Community Park to get into trouble, he said.

He hopes his 5-year-old brother will spend a lot of time at the new park, Chavez said.

The park is named after Gailey Luther DeGarmo, the land's original owner. Chico City Council helped CARD start the park's construction by making a funding contribution.

The city paid about $4.2 million for the first phase, said Dennis Beardsley, Chico general services director. He doesn't know how much the park will cost when it's completed, but the city is expected to contribute between $3 million and $4 million for future phases.

When DeGarmo Park is complete, CARD will host sports leagues similar to those held at Community Park, Preston said.

"The benefits of the park will be numerous."

Sergio Delgado can be reached at sdelgado@theorion.com

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