GALT, CA (MPG) - Community leaders and project partners broke ground July 6 on the next phase of improvements at Walker Community Park, 380 W. Elm Ave., launching an expansion that will add new youth sports facilities and amenities to the city’s recreation complex located on the west side of town.

Phase 2 includes three new youth softball and baseball fields with 22-foot-high fences, expanded parking and new restroom facilities. Additional improvements also include a food trailer concession area, batting cages, sports field lighting, two picnic areas surrounding the fields and pavement renewal.

The project carries a price tag of about $2.65 million and is expected to be completed by the end of the year. It builds on the park’s first phase, completed in 2011, which added a football field and soccer field. Mayor Bonnie Rodriguez said the park’s overall improvement project totals to about $8 million.

Around $500,000 in funding was provided for Phase 2 through a federal grant secured by U.S. Rep. Doris Matsui, whose district includes Galt and Herald. The remaining funding came from Measure Q, the one-cent sales tax approved by Galt voters in 2022 to support essential city services and the Parks and Recreation Department.

 

Holding a ceremonial check representing $500,000 in federal funding secured by U.S. Rep. Doris Matsui for Phase 2 of Walker Community Park on July 6 are, from left, Vice Mayor Tim Reed, Councilmember Paul Sandhu, Mayor Bonnie Rodriguez, Councilmember Shawn Farmer and Councilmember Mathew Pratton. 

Speaking during the groundbreaking ceremony, Matsui said the project reflects priorities identified by residents and demonstrates the value of investing in smaller communities planning for future growth.

“You defined this as a priority, and that is what I really, really appreciate because every bit of federal funding that I fight for is something that is very basic,” Matsui said. “Here, families having a better place to gather, kids having a place to play and neighborhoods building an even stronger sense of community. And that’s what this investment is for Galt.”

Matsui also said supporting projects such as Walker Community Park helps ensure smaller communities receive the same attention as larger cities at the federal level.

“Communities like Galt, and I believe this thoroughly, deserve a strong voice in Washington,” Matsui said. “Federal investment shouldn’t just flow to the largest cities… It should reach communities that are growing, working hard and really building a future for their residents.”

Acknowledging city officials, past and present, for their work on pushing the project forward, Rodriguez also extended thanks to the Walker family, the park’s dedicatees, for their part in making the site a community hub.

 

Members of the Walker family pose with ceremonial groundbreaking shovels July 6 in recognition of their role in proposing that the land be developed into what is now Walker Community Park, a community hub for recreation.

“We have a lot of people that love this town, and some of those people are some of the founding families,” Rodriguez said. “We want to especially thank the Walker family because if they had they not shared the vision with city leaders at the time, we wouldn’t be here at all.”

Parks and Recreation Director Armando Solis added to the mayor’s statement, sharing that the land was once a dairy farm owned by the Walker brothers, who negotiated the sale of the property to the city years ago. He also thanked residents for approving Measure Q, which made the latest improvements and other parks projects possible.

“This is what you voted for,” Solis said, while also highlighting other Measure Q-backed improvements such as the new waterslide at the Gora Aquatic Center and the upcoming skate park renovation. “I really want to thank you guys for that.”

Assistant City Engineer Betsy Flores, who leads the project, reflected on the opportunity to help shape a park in the community where she grew up and to give back through her profession.

“To be able to event contribute to something so big that’s going to impact the community and eventually see my kids and maybe my grandkids play at the park here…it’s just amazing,” Flores said.

 

Assistant City Engineer Betsy Flores speaks to the crowd at the July 6 groundbreaking ceremony for Phase 2 of the Walker Community Park improvement project. 

Before joining city leaders and staff to pick up the ceremonial golden shovels, Matsui concluded by saying that the park expansion represents more than new athletic facilities; it’s reflective of the city’s close-knit spirit.

“I see those golden shovels in the back, that’s really exciting, because it means so much more than a baseball field, soccer fields… the love that you have for sports really do bring people together,” she said.