LeRoy Park
LeRoy Park & Community Center Renovation Project
History of LeRoy Park
LeRoy Park is the oldest community park in Santa Barbara County, dating back to 1871 when the LeRoy family signed over (donated) 5-6 acres of marshy land to the area’s citizens for their recreational use in perpetuity.
Early photos show gatherings and processions in a small clearing by the LIGA Mexicana and the Catholic church.
The park was a popular site for gatherings be it family, religious, cultural/national holidays, or fraternal societies. Easter egg hunts were sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary up until the 1940s. The grassy area was perfect for colored eggs (real eggs) plus the gold one for the prize.
An old barn noted in the 1929 Sanborn maps, was “renovated” for party use.
During the 1930s and 40s the local Boy Scout Troop used the park for encampments.
In recent years, the community center was used exclusively by the Boy & Girls Club, until it was closed due to mold in 2017.
For a more detailed history of the park and the community of Guadalupe please contact the Rancho de Guadalupe Historical Society.
Project Funding
In 2017 Los Amigos de Guadalupe (then call RCDCC), on behalf of the City of Guadalupe, completed a community outreach and application for funding to the State CDBG program.
In September 2018, the City was awarded the funds and after going through the project design process, construction started in August 2020. There was about a 3-year gap in between the date the application was submitted to the first day of construction. During this three-year period, construction costs increased and the $4.1 million that was set aside for the LeRoy Park and community center renovation was not enough to complete the entire project. Per the agreement with the state, the CDBG award was to be used primarily to renovate the community center, so with the shortfall several park features were moved to alternates.
In 2020, Los Amigos de Guadalupe, completed the process to allow the City to receive an additional award for $900,000 for the LeRoy Park project. This allowed the Community Center portion of the project to be fully funded, which some park features still unfunded.
For information on the Capital Campaign for the LeRoy Park and Community Center’s unfunded features please go here.
Amigos del LeRoy Park
From the time the City received the CDBG Award and through the present, a group made up of City staff, Council members, and community stakeholders, were created by the City and called: Amigos del LeRoy Park. The group meets monthly (now remotely) to discuss any project issues, from design changes to prioritizing which part of the project should be completed first, second and so on.
Alma Hernandez
Ariston Julian
Todd Bodem
Charlie Guzman
Liliana Cardenas
Patrick Schmitz
Ivan Cardenas
Roberto Rodriguez
Jose J. Nichols
Shannon Sweeney
Crystal Guzman
Joe Harris
Dena Boortz
Sonia Rios-Ventura
Tommy Solis Jr.
Gilbert Robles
Tom Brandeberry
Project Construction
With construction starting August of 2020, the project when finished with have a fully renovated (down to the studs) community center, which will include a renovated gym and stage, new ADA accessible bathrooms and numerous rooms for learning and recreational activities. The plumbing, electrical, heating will be all new. Some changes to the front of the building have been made to add space.
The park itself is presently funded to include a barbecue area, two playgrounds, new parking areas, new outside bathrooms, and new pathways around the park.
Other planned park features (additional barbecue areas, exercise area amphitheater, for example) will be added as funding becomes available (Capital Campaign).
The project is scheduled for completion September 2021.
To see how the project is going, check out our Facebook page (like and follow).
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