Lodi woman on crusade to refurbish park
Every weekday morning, Lodi resident Myrna Wetzel can be seen walking up and down the street wrapping around Candy Cane Park, the smallest of the city’s parks.
Next to her trots trusted companion Blessed, and Wetzel carries a sign with her demand: Replace the playground equipment at the park.
“They need to replace it,” she said. “We have lots of children in the area, and they need a place to play, instead of being couch potatoes.”
Funding to replace the playground equipment was included in Measure R, a proposed sales tax hike to fund parks improvements that was on the ballot in 2016. The measure failed to garner the two-thirds majority vote it needed to pass.
“We were hoping to get it done if Measure R passed, so we simply don’t have the money to do the work,” Lodi Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Director Jeff Hood said.
The park also needs to be upgraded to meet new Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. Such upgrades would include relocating the storm drain to build an ADAcompliant curb for access, and reconfigure the layout of the park to meet the new standards, Hood explained.
The old equipment, which was removed, did not meet current safety standards. The ADA upgrades bring with them a substantial cost which would be necessary to complete the project, Hood said.
In 2016 the department had set aside $55,000 for playground upgrades to Candy Cane Park, but with the failure of Measure R, the parks department got approval from council to redirect the money to needed roof repairs at Salas Park.
Voters will have another say this fall.
“The (Lodi City Council) took steps to put another ballot measure in November,” Hood said, alluding to the council approving on Wednesday the introduction of an ordinance that would allow the city to place a half-cent sales tax measure on the ballot.
The city says the measure is needed to avoid budget deficits and service cuts in the coming years as it deals with spiraling pensions costs that are eating up larger chunks of the general budget with each passing year.
Hood estimates that the cost to complete the Candy Cane Park project, including the ADA requirements, is around $135,000 to $150,000. He said currently there is no money set aside for Candy Cane Park in the budget, adding that if the new tax measure passes, it’s up to city council to decide if it’s a project worth funding.
Hood said the primary focus for the department is on repairs to ensure safety of the parks and to protect park users.
On Thursday, as Wetzel completed the fourth of her five daily passes around the park, she expressed that she feels she has a personal responsibility to take a stand.
“I have a responsibility, we all do; it’s our park and it’s our community, and our children,” she said.
Hood applauds Wetzel’s commitment to her neighborhood.
“I certainly admire Wetzel’s dedication to the park and hope that sometime in the near future we can come through,” he said.