Cheryl Ladd Neighborhood Park to be completed by winter 2013

The Cheryl Ladd Project has been eight years in the making, but city officials said it could be completed by next winter.

“It has taken a long time, you know, but I’m very glad that I was able to get it up and glad I’m going to get it done,” said City Rep. Eddie Holguin who represents that area.

Holguin worked to clean up the once unofficial medical waste dump site in 2007. He says it was one of the issues he campaigned on when he first took office in 2005.

The empty lot is still an eyesore, but with a $1.6 million budget approved by voters through the Quality of Life Bonds, the wasteland could transform into a state-of-the-art outdoor sanctuary.

“We tried to cater to a bunch of different age groups for this facility so we stuck in everything and the kitchen sink that we could think of,” said the principal Engineer of Quantum Engineering Consulting Robert Gonzales. He hopes the finished project will please everyone.

Gonzales heads a team of experts that have designed two shaded playgrounds, a basketball and sand volleyball court, soccer field, walking trails, community garden and even an area equipped with exercise equipment. All the amenities will be shrouded by green trees and drought resistant plants.

“I really wanted something nice and special for the kids in that area,” Holguin said.

Once the design is complete next March, the park will go to bidders, and according to Holguin, by winter 2013 the Cheryl Ladd Project will transform into the Cheryl Ladd Park.