By this time next year, DeBenedetti Park will have a fresh field of green grass. Delta Bluegrass Construction, a contractor hired by the city, planted 15 acres of Bermuda grass in preparation for sports fields last week. Tree Lodi has also started its campaign to raise about $20,000 to plant 200 trees at the park.
The city is working to install three multi-sports playing fields in the northwest section of the park. It has already completed a large drainage basin.
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Bill Moorman posted at 11:01 pm on Tue, Oct 12, 2010.
Hey Maggie, Mr Hood...Good reporting, except you left out the part that back in 1986 the City was going to build a 9 hole golf course with a park at this location. (Per City of Lodi) ; as well; Bennett & Compton. On well, I guess I can finally tell my tenants....remember that park I told you the city was going to build?
It's just to bad it took 24 plus years. I wonder how much less it would have been to build it when the city said they were going to build it.
Yeah..yeah...yeah...print all the excuses you want.
Q) Who received the extra money to make the park smaller with no golf course and build more homes?
Jeff Hood posted at 4:59 pm on Tue, Oct 12, 2010.
There will be parking available in the future, as the final phases are completed. There will be handicap parking available in this first phase, but considering the size of the park and its location at Century Blvd. and Lower Sacramento Road, there will be abundant street parking. Also, there will be lighting in the future as funds become available. You can watch a slideshow of the grass planting at www.lodi.gov
Kevin Paglia posted at 3:16 pm on Tue, Oct 12, 2010.
I for one am looking forward to having another park for the kids to play and practice at. Anyone know if/when lights will go for the fields or will it be a daylight use only park?
Here's another fun one, parking around Salas and Blakely parks is horrible during game days (Blakely especially), Is there only going to be street parking or will there be an actual parking lot?
Doug Chaney posted at 10:05 am on Tue, Oct 12, 2010.
Sir, I understand that, being one of those who chooses to contribute to them. I see the need for many other projects on the eastside of Lodi that could use projects like yours, not some park that should have been completed years ago. The park that needs to be given attention is Katzakian Park on Turner road next to the Wine&Roses. There have been promises of lighting that would allow our youths of Lodi to participate in evening sporting and social events, weekend evening sports tournaments, etc., and development of playing fields for socceer, baseball, football, basketball, tennis, volleyball, and yes, even cricket. Who seems to be stopping this promised project from developing? The youth, and adult, active sprorting community deserve this promise to be fulfilled before wasting more time and money on DeBeniditti Park, which will be flooded with water and not very attractive to use during winter and rainy times. Isn't it's purpose mainly a holding pond for heavy rains and excess stormwater?
Josh Morgan posted at 9:32 am on Tue, Oct 12, 2010.
Tree Lodi is involved because it chose to be involved.
Doug Chaney posted at 9:05 am on Tue, Oct 12, 2010.
Why is Tree Lodi being asked to provide $20,000 for trees for DeBeneditti Park, when mayor Katzakian in a recent interview in the paper that Lodi was doing so well and flush with cash? Looking at the expenditures every week on the council agendas shows me, in my opinion, to be a drop in the bucket to Lodi coffers, with those weekly or bi-weekly transfers from the electric utility being in the neighborhood of 2 to 3 million dollars? And how about the newly acquired bonds for the sewer/water treatment plant at Lodi Lake? Council boasts about the bid coming $6 million dollars under, yet will still purchase purchase the nearly full $45 million in municipal bonds to finance the project. Why are they adding that extra $6 million in bonds that they don't need? I'll tell you why, in my honest opinion. This extra $6 million will be supposedly used toward the water meter project and the say, note they only say, not promise, that residents may have to pay only $300 rather than the $1200 cost now set. There's no promise, only the word may. I'm referring to mayor Katzakian, Hansen and johnson, as Hitchcock and Mounce voted no on this issue. And with that extra $6 million in bonds, guess who will pay for that extra $6 million? Easy answer, you Lodi taxpayers and ratepayers. So this is just a giant spin game to convince Lodians that these three good old boy councilmen are doing us all a gigantic favor and giving us a break in reducing our water meter costs from $1200 to $300, but in all reality the $900 difference you'll pay in higher utility bills, which, I'm assuming will begin within the next two months. These elaborate games, especially this sewer/water treatment plant is only meant to bring about the re-election of mayor Katzakian and council Hansen. That's why I ask Lodi voters to vote for Amador, Reed, Patel or John Johnson. It's time, IMO, to dismantle this dishonest group of 3 amigos who have driven the city of Lodi into deep debt and will send us further into financial oblivion with this project. Let's free Tree Lodi to continue the wonderful work and beautification projects they perform while these high spending council members waste funds foolishly and can easily afford that $20,000.