Lake Elsinore Opens 19th Community Sports-Oriented Park

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — Last week, the City celebrated the opening of its newest expansive community park in which to play ball, shoot hoops, dribble on the soccer pitch, ride skateboards, enjoy picnics and just relax in the shade.

The City officially opened the gates Thursday to Summerly Community Park, a partially completed 24-acre sports-oriented recreational area located south of the city’s namesake lake, west of The Diamond Stadium (home of the Lake Elsinore Storm Class A minor-league baseball team), and next to The Links at Summerly golf course.

Summerly Community Park is the City’s fourth large park geared to the community at large, giving each corner of the City its own 15-acre-plus play area. It is the City’s 19th park overall.

Summerly’s opening provides another piece in the City’s Dream Extreme campaign to become Southern California’s go-to place for outdoor recreational opportunities.

“This historic day marks yet another ‘extreme’ milestone in our pursuit to create the ultimate destination (in which) to live, work and play,” Mayor Natasha Johnson told a crowd gathered at the park to celebrate its grand opening.

McMillin LLC, the original developer of the adjacent Summerly subdivision, and its partner Pacific Ventures are financing the estimated $10 to $12 million park, which the City owns and will operate.

“I would like to thank Summerly and Pacific Ventures for investing in our community and going above and beyond to build a park unlike any other in our City,” Johnson said.

The development of the park is a three-phase project, of which the first two have been finished resulting in the following features:

• Little League baseball field with dugouts, bullpens, bleachers and lighting
• Major League baseball field with dugouts, bullpens, bleachers, lighting and a future scoreboard
• City’s 3rd skate park built by Wally Hollyday Skateparks, with shade sails, drinking fountain, boulder seating, and 10,000 sq. feet of extreme outdoor fun
• Basketball court and an adjacent picnic shelter with cafe tables, barbecue grill and bicycle rack
• Soccer pitch with moveable goals and sloped grass seating
• 252 parking stalls
• Storage unit parking areas
• Restroom/concession building
• Plaza with eating area
• Overlook with turf play area, picnic and cafe tables, barbecue grills
• Lit flagpole with a dedication plaque
• Entry monument

Construction of the third phase is expected to commence late this year and wrap up by next year’s end. And, it will add the following:

• 2 fenced tennis courts with player benches
• 1 additional Major League
• 1 additional Little League field
• A children’s play area with separate play structures for ages 2 to 5 and 5 to 12
• Dog park (the city’s 5th), with large and small dog enclosures, picnic shelters and seating, a pet fountain and waste receptacles
• Large picnic area with tables
• Decorative turf mounding in an open play area
• Event circle with a low seat wall and grass seating
• Heavy screen planting along the adjacent golf course

“Once completed, this 24-acre park will be a great addition to our expanding park system and a testament to our commitment to create great parks,” Mayor Johnson said.

This park offers a wide array of sports opportunities all in one place. The new baseball fields will be a great addition to our community. Like Rosetta Canyon Sports Complex where we host national and regional softball tournaments, Summerly Community Park will create more opportunities in the City for large-scale baseball tournaments, clinics and other events. However, the grass in the fields is still being established, and they will not be open for use until this summer.

The overall timeline for this park’s completion is dependent on development at Summerly and will be determined by the developer.

For more information about Summerly Community Park, call Community Services at 951-674-3124.

— SUBMITTED FOR PUBLICATION BY: City of Lake Elsinore