City of Fresno renovating dozens of parks

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The City of Fresno said they're making progress on dozens of run down parks that need fixing.

In preparation for a wet winter fueled by El Nino Leaders said crews have been working quickly at nearly 20 locations. At Orchid Park in Northwest Fresno, there's likely more dogs running in circles than kids on the jungle gym. "It's worn down and it doesn't look like much of an exciting park when you look at it," said Madison Papulias, neighbor.

Papulias and her dog go to Orchid Park almost daily because it's close to home. But when it's time to play with her niece she doesn't come here. "I wish I could walk here with her so I could enjoy it here instead of having to drive across town."

Orchid Park is one of almost 20 locations the city is renovating. It's part of a $6-million commitment this fiscal year. "Because of the great recession a lot of these projects were delayed, and the time has come to really repair these improvements," said Manuel Mollinedo, Fresno Parcs Director.

Orchid park will get a new rubber chip surface. Other locations will see new bathrooms, bleachers, roofing, and splash pads. The renovations vary based on need and the work started as soon as funding came in. "We didn't expect to have as much rain as has been coming down but didn't want that to get in our way, we wanted to get a jump on the projects that we had," said Mollinedo.

Leaders said the majority of the money will be funneled into parks south of Shaw. But for people in Papulias' neighborhood even the slightest upgrade is welcome. "I think there are better parks around the city right now, but I think renovating it will bring more people over."

Leaders said if you see a problem at your nearest park they want to know about it. Just take a photo and send it to the city through their FresGO app.