Riverside marked Park and Recreation Month with a presentation to the City Council last week outlining the reach of the City's parks system and honoring a staff member for her work developing youth programming.
Later in the same meeting, the City Council approved an amendment to its 2025-26 HUD Annual Action Plan directing Community Development Block Grant funds toward four Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department projects serving income-eligible areas in Wards 1, 3 and 6. Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes recused herself from the vote, citing property she owns within 1,000 feet of one of the sites. Michelle Guzman, of the Housing and Human Services Department, said the amendment allocates $175,000 to the Bobby Bonds Skate Park improvements, $250,000 to flooring replacement at the Janet Goeske Senior Center, $500,000 to a pump room rehabilitation at the Sippy Woodhead Pool and $340,000 to lighting and fitness equipment at Tim Strack Park.
Pamela Galera, director of the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department, told the City Council the City has marked the July observance since the City Council adopted a proclamation declaring it on July 10, 2018, in alignment with the National Recreation and Park Association's mission. This year's NRPA campaign theme, "The Power of Parks and Recreation," framed Galera's presentation on the department's programming and ongoing construction projects.
The department operates 14 community centers and seven pools, and maintains more than 3,400 acres of developed and natural parkland across 68 parks, trails and community facilities, Galera said. It also employs more than 200 part-time summer staff, 80 of whom are returning employees, and its arts and cultural affairs division supported more than 100 community events and film permits over the past year, she said.
Galera said the department has recently completed several capital projects and has others underway or planned. Nine new pickleball courts recently opened at Arlington Park, she said, while construction on the Gage Canal Trail is expected to begin soon. The east side of the City is undergoing a broader transformation, with a full renovation of Patterson Park and construction of a new Dell Roberts Gym at Bordwell Park. At Bobby Bonds Park, the City plans a new library, a renovation of the Cesar Chavez Community Center and upgrades to the skate park and Sippy Woodhead Pool. The department is also continuing improvements at Fairmont Park, including the Rose Garden and additional pickleball courts, while working on a broader master plan it expects to bring back for community input this fall.
The department has fully replaced nine playgrounds so far, with two more planned, and expects to replace rubberized surfacing at more than a dozen additional playgrounds, Galera said.
An NRPA campaign video shown during the meeting reported that the City's community centers logged nearly 1.8 million visits this year, with more than 47,000 program registrations and more than 30,000 residents served through pool programs. The video also credited the parks team with planting more than 650 plants, adding nearly 80 trees citywide and improving more than 5,000 feet of trail in Sycamore Canyon. Mount Rubidoux drew more than 1 million visitors over the year, according to the video.
Galera also recognized Victoria Koo-Young as the department's 2025 Employee of the Year, an honor presented during the department's Employee Service Awards on May 27. Koo-Young, who joined the department in 2021, helped launch the Bourns Family Youth Innovation Center during the COVID-19 pandemic and has since led its STEAM and STEM programming, Galera said.
"I would not be the employee that I am without the support of my coworkers and upper management and city management and council," Koo-Young said. "So a team win for everybody, and I appreciate it."
Councilmember Chuck Conder, Ward 4, praised the department's work, saying the City's parks provide a safe, low-cost alternative for children and families.
"Our parks are the haven for those that can't afford the Disneylands and those kind of locations," Conder said. "They're safe, they're beautifully done, a lot of work on them."
Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes, Ward 2, echoed the sentiment, saying the department's work reaches "children, families, parents, adults, seniors" across the City's wards.
Mayor Pro Tem Steven Robillard, who represents Ward 3, also welcomed continued investment in Nichols Park, including a planned Deaf Cultural Center as part of the City's parks programming.
