Winton –Caltrans, Merced County and city officials as well as community members today celebrated the groundbreaking of a $3.7 million Winton Park renovation project that will include a new playground, picnic tables, trees, enhanced baseball field and basketball court, and student-created art.
the project is funded through a local grant from Governor Gavin Newsom’s landmark $1.2 billion Clean California initiative. This is a sweeping, multiyear clean-up effort led by Caltrans to remove trash, create thousands of jobs, and engage communities to transform public areas into spaces of pride for all Californians.
“We are grateful to our partners at Merced County who are making this project possible, along with local high school students who have a big part in the improvements,” said Mark Samuelson, Caltrans District 10 Acting Deputy District Director of Planning, Local Assistance and Environmental Support. “Caltrans applauds their efforts and hard work to make a lasting positive impact in the community.”
Located at Olive Avenue and Winton Way, the park upgrades will include a one-mile-long walking path; restoration of a soccer field; renovation of a baseball field including lighting; four new baseball dugouts; lighting for the basketball court; a new playground; two new picnic shelters; 60 graffiti-resistant picnic tables; 20 new trees with water-efficient irrigation; and a public art project consisting of 12 iron benches designed and made by high school students.
Merced County Supervisor Lloyd Pareira, whose District 4 includes Winton, said Winton Park is frequently used by local families for sports, exercise and social gatherings
“Parks are vitally important to communities, and Winton is very deserving of these important upgrades,” Pareira said. “This work will make Winton Park something we can all be proud of, and I'm looking forward to seeing families and children enjoying this important asset.”
Winton Community Park is 21.5 acres and was built in 1972. It is the only park located in the community, which is approximately 1.5 miles northwest of Castle Commerce Center.
In addition to the Clean California grant, Merced County also received $455,590 from California’s Proposition 68 program. These funds will be used to improve Winton Community Park’s restroom and concession facilities. The work is anticipated to be completed in the next year.
The project is one of 320 Clean California projects beautifying communities throughout the state.
Since launching Clean California in July 2021, Caltrans has removed an estimated 2 million cubic yards of litter from state highways – enough to fill 634 Olympic-size swimming pools. The program has created nearly 8,700 jobs that have helped Californians overcome barriers to employment and drawn more than 10,000 volunteers to events ranging from community cleanups to large debris collections for appliances, tires, and mattresses.
For more information about the Clean California initiative, visit CleanCA.com