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Greger Sports Park eyes late February opening
oak

By KIM VAN METER

kvanmeter@oakdaleleader.com


The $6 million-plus Greger Sports Park project is in its final stretch, with city officials anticipating public access by the end of February. During Monday night’s Oakdale City Council meeting, Feb. 3, City Manager Bryan Whitemyer and Capital Projects Manager Carina McDonald provided an update on the park’s progress.

The $6,807,124 Greger Sports Complex was funded through Park Capital Facilities Fund 349 ($4,750,124), Parks Replacement Fund 549 ($250,000), and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds ($1,807,000). George Reed Inc. secured the contract with the lowest bid.

“If you’ve been by, it’s starting to look more and more like nearing completion,” Whitemyer said. “They’ve been adding the landscaping—plants, bushes, the bark, trees. So, we’re getting there.”

One of the major delays had been waiting for the power pedestal installation, which was required for full energization of the park’s electrical systems.

“That was energized today,” Whitemyer confirmed at the Monday meeting.

With power now available to the restrooms, tennis courts, and pickleball courts, the next steps include running power through all park facilities, testing lights, and ensuring proper drainage in the parking lot.

“We’ve got to run the power through everything, make sure everything’s functioning, get our bathroom up and running, check all of our lights, and then we will punch-walk everything,” McDonald explained.

While the majority of the park will be ready for public use in the coming weeks, some minor repairs, such as court striping, will be completed in the spring.

“Those types of companies don’t work in any type of inclement weather,” McDonald said. “They actually leave the state of California during the winter, so they won’t be back until April.”

City officials are targeting the first week of March for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the official opening.

The next regular meeting of the Oakdale City Council is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. in the City Council Chambers. Normally hosted the first and third Mondays of the month, the upcoming meeting will be delayed by a day due to the Monday, Feb. 17 observance of the Presidents’ Day holiday.