City Of Davis Awarded $2.7M Grant To Improve Central Park
DAVIS (CBS13) - A local park will soon be getting a cool new look.
Central Park in Davis is a popular place for people to gather all year round.
"It brings everybody together," said Davis resident Emily Kim.
The five-acre open space is right in the heart of downtown and adjacent to the UC Davis campus.
"It's pretty nice to have it within biking distance of my house," said Kim. "College students are out here with blankets and books, people often have slacklines and things."
It's also home to the twice-weekly farmers market and the Bicycling Hall of Fame. Now it's about to get a multi-million dollar makeover. This month, the city announced it was awarded a $2.7 million grant from the state to fix up portions of the park.
"You could do a lot with that," said one person.
So what's the grant money going to be spent on? The majority of the funding will go towards a new interactive water play area with overhead and ground sprayers.
"During the summertime, any of the water attractions, I think, would definitely be very popular," said Davis Resident Isaac Kim.
It will have a solar-powered ultraviolet disinfection system so chemicals won't be needed and be accessible to people with disabilities.
Other improvements include new public art, more benches, and shade structures.
"Oh, that sounds amazing," said Emily Kim.
The additions will also offer a teaching opportunity with a new pollinator garden and native plant education display.
The state grant is part of the Newsom Administration's "outdoors for all" initiative that's designed to give all Californians access to parks and open space.