A new park in North Palm Springs is in the works with the cost to build it at $8.5 million but the city is hoping the state will pay with a measure bond passed by voters during the last election.

The City of Palm Springs is competing to win a state grant that opened when Prop. 68 passed, a measure bond netting $4 million.

The site sits on the end of Sunrise Way, where homes meet the desert. It is a major project for Parks and Recreation Director, Cynthia Alvarado-Crawford, who has five months on the role.

“There’s a neighborhood there but there isn’t a lot of green space for kids to play with or families to go to,” Alvarado-Crawford said. “Ultimately the biggest criteria to be successful is to design a park that the community desires.”

In order to get state funding, the city needs to host public meetings for members of the community to share their input on the proposal.

Jim Rush was at the meeting representing the residents of the Four Seasons community in Palm Springs as the community’s general manager.

Rush said, “Some folks are a little bit worried about the homeless might now migrate into this area when you put a park so there are some concerns with some people.”

Although he said the meeting was helpful in clearing information on the proposed project.

Rush said, “Some confusion with some of our residents that the park was going to be right against our community, which it is not.”

The possible amenities may include an aquatic center, a dog park, and athletic courts, but the community will ultimately decide on the design and even the name of the park.

The City of Palm Springs will host a few more community workshops this month, two on June 25 at Vista Del Monte Elementary School and the final meeting on June 29 at the proposed site.

Palm Springs Proposed New Park for Northern Communities