Four neighborhood parks in Goleta will be getting new play equipment after City Council authorized staff to move ahead with getting bids for the construction and installation of the equipment.

All four renovations have expanded or adjusted the recreational opportunities at each park location:

• Andamar Park will expand the play equipment by adding features for children ages 2 – 5 years old in addition to new equipment for the 5 – 12-year-olds. There are two access points from the public right-of-way, but the ADA accessibility path will come from Andamar Way. There is current vehicle access on Andamar Way that will be removed, and the length will be expanded to meet the necessary grade to be ADA accessible with a walkway towards the playground. Open green grass space for picnics, running and playing will remain.
  
  
• Berkeley Park has two separate play areas, one for children 2 – 5 years old and one for older children. The area for 2 – 5-year-olds will have a climbable butterfly and a bouncy riding structure. The area that had swings removed will be expanded slightly to accommodate the fall zones for the climbing structure. One of the two existing walkways is ADA Accessible, and signs will be installed as part of this project.
  
  
• Winchester 1 Park had swings at the top of the hill that have been removed. Four pieces of fitness equipment will be tucked into the lower/east corner of the park, under the trees. This placement maximizes the enjoyment of the green grass at this location.
  
  
• Winchester 2 Park will have the swings replaced and expanded as well as play features for 5 – 12-year-olds and 2 – 5-year-olds. This playground will also include a picnic table to replace the existing ones and benches that will be placed under a shade structure. The ADA walkway will extend from Calle Real to the playground and will be identified as an accessible route. This location will also have the broken backstop replaced and have the four-foot chain link fencing removed and replaced with six-foot vinyl coated steel chain link fencing. Changing the fence will address the concerns expressed by residents about balls heading into the busy road. Lastly, to address the flow of water draining into the yards of the neighbors on Warwick Drive, a small berm will be created with concrete curbing to direct the water towards the natural flow of the park.

Installation of the play equipment is expected to be complete in late spring/early summer of 2021. View the complete staff report with park diagrams at https://tinyurl.com/yxakpmrg.

Pictured: Winchester II Park