SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Residents in Mira Mesa are expressing their frustration over ongoing delays in the construction of a new park adjacent to Jonas Salk Elementary School.
After hearing from parents at the school, ABC 10News reached out to city and school officials for answers.
“It’s been definitely a big challenge,” parent An Nguyen said of the ongoing construction.
“We stopped venting after a while," added fellow Salk Elementary parent Raghu Nagesh.
In November 2022, City of San Diego officials and San Diego Unified School District broke ground on the $12 million project, intended to combine Maddox Park with Salk Park. Initial renderings promised a significant transformation of 4.1 acres from barren land to a grassy oval featuring walking trails, an upgraded playground, a dog park, shade structures, and more.
The park was expected to open in February 2024. One year after that date, the city says it is still not ready.
“I used to come to this park pretty much every day with the kids. Now, we can’t,” Nagesh lamented.
City spokesperson Tyler Becker provided an update, saying the park was 80% complete. In a statement, he wrote:
"Recently, progress has been slowed due to procurement-related challenges, but construction crews continue to work on grading and forming the sundial and installing irrigation at Oval Field, as well as finishing the comfort station ... Upon the start of construction in November 2022, the park was expected to open to the public in February 2024, but the expected opening has been delayed to this summer. The extended timeline is a result of unforeseen circumstances including procurement- and weather-related challenges since the project began."
Residents are skeptical; when they look through the gates, they see a mostly barren field in the Maddox Park area and wonder if there will be even more delays this spring.
“It’s kind of frustrating because I have three kids who were expecting the park to be open," said Kevin Yu, whose children go to Salk Elementary. "I’ve been trying to get them to be more patient and wait it out.”
A San Diego Unified School District spokesperson said in a statement: “Like everyone, we want projects that improve communities to be completed as fast as possible, and we trust the City of San Diego is committed to the same.”
In the meantime, parents say they're excited about other newly opened parks in the area, like Wagenheim Park and the renovations of the Mira Mesa Community Park and Rec Center.
But they'll be glad when the Salk park opens and they can walk to a park closer to home.
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