> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # New Pool, Parks and Community Center Proposed in State Grant Push - URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/new-pool-parks-and-community-center-proposed-in-state-grant-push/ - Published: 2026-10-27T00:15:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-27T00:14:59.000Z - Description: State funding could help bring recreation closer to home, but commissioners raised questions about how the city would maintain new facilities. - Author: Micaela Ricaforte - Tags: City Hall, Public Works & Utilities, #herald-402ef165-d2ee-814b-94df-e29fa5b71efd Riverside residents could get a new public pool, a neighborhood park and expanded recreation facilities as the city pursues state grants for four park projects — an opportunity that has also prompted debate about how the city would pay to keep the new facilities running. The proposals would bring a pool to La Sierra Park, develop Mission Ranch Park, add amenities at Martha McLean–Anza Narrows Park and replace the community center at Nichols Park. The [Park and Recreation Commission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/p/b8623102-6bde-477f-86f7-fe9fabd3bf4d/) discussed the proposals Oct. 19, voting 6-1 to receive and file the update. Commissioner Kevin Dawson dissented, citing concerns about project costs and maintenance needs at existing parks. City staff is evaluating up to four applications for the Statewide Park Development and Community Revitalization Program. Funded by Proposition 4, the climate bond voters approved in 2024, the program has $188.5 million available in a single round. Each application could seek up to $8.5 million and would compete independently. The key draw for Riverside: the grants require no city matching funds. Grants are the parks department’s primary source of funding for construction and major renovations, and staff said matching requirements often put other opportunities out of reach. Still, none of the four applications is guaranteed to move forward. Staff plans to concentrate on the strongest proposals and drop any that do not appear competitive. For La Sierra residents, the funding could help close a gap in access to public swimming pools. Riverside has seven, but none in Wards 4, 6 or 7. The proposed pool at La Sierra Park in Ward 7 would offer swimming lessons, recreation and a place to cool off during extreme heat. Staff envisions a zero-depth entry and other features to make the pool more accessible to older adults and people participating in adaptive sports. An initial concept places the pool where the playground now stands, moves the playground to an informal T-ball field and adds about 24 parking spaces. At Martha McLean–Anza Narrows Park in Ward 3, the goal is to give people more reasons — and better amenities — to spend time near the river. The 40-acre park has a disc golf course but no playground or restrooms. Proposed additions include both, along with water play, a bandshell, exercise stations and a trailhead for the Santa Ana River Trail. The disc golf course would remain. Landscaping and other barriers would also help keep unauthorized vehicles out of the river bottom, where staff said they contribute to habitat damage, water quality problems and wildfire risks. The redevelopment is estimated at $12 million. The Santa Ana River Conservancy has committed $6 million, and the city is pursuing additional grants to complete the project. For neighbors of Mission Ranch Park in Ward 4, the wait for a developed park stretches back more than a decade. The city bought the 12-acre property in 2011 after development stalled during the Great Recession. Homebuilding has since resumed nearby, but residents still lack a park within a 10-minute walk, according to the staff report. Community outreach is underway, and staff said residents have expressed interest in a swimming pool and a community or senior center. An $8.5 million grant would not cover all those amenities and development of the park, so the project could be built in phases as funding becomes available. At Nichols Park in Ward 3, the proposal would expand both recreation space and the center’s role during emergencies. The city hopes to replace the roughly 10,000-square-foot community center, built in 1977, with a facility ranging from 16,000 to 30,000 square feet. An architectural consultant recommended replacement after concluding that renovating the aging building would not be cost-effective, according to the staff report. The proposed building would accommodate recreation programs, serve as a Deaf Cultural Community Center and provide emergency shelter and support during disasters. It would also continue serving as an extreme heat cooling center. The city submitted a separate $10 million Community Resilience Center grant application in September and is awaiting a decision. Staff estimates the projects would add annual operating expenses of about $213,000 for the La Sierra pool, $25,000 for water play at Martha McLean–Anza Narrows, $147,000 above existing costs at Nichols and $100,000 for Mission Ranch Park. The department would seek that funding through future city budgets. Dawson questioned whether those commitments could draw resources away from repairs at existing parks. He also called for closer review of alternatives to replacing the Nichols building. “I want us to have new parks. I want us to have great facilities,” he said. “But having just toured some of our existing parks and looked really hard, we’re not taking care of the stuff we have.” Commissioner Stephanie Schaefer argued that the city should pursue available funding and request more detailed plans once it knows which grants it receives. “I think it would be foolish not to pursue grants, knowing that these are going to take years to see what we get, see which projects are even valid and happen,” Schaefer said. “We’ll request detailed reports once we know what funding’s available."