- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
California State Parks awards $3 million for Clearlake’s Burns Valley Sports Complex
The city of Clearlake will receive $3 million from State Parks’ Rural Recreation and Tourism Program to create the new Burns Valley Sports Complex.
“We are thrilled to hear that State Parks loves our project as much as we do!” Clearlake City Manager Alan Flora told Lake County News in a Monday afternoon email.
“This is really a transformative project for the City, and all of Lake County, to establish a beautiful new sports complex,” Flora said.
The news came as part of California State Parks’ announcement of its $46.2 million investment to build healthier communities by creating and improving recreational facilities in 25 local parks.
Funded by Proposition 68 through the Rural Recreation and Tourism and Regional Park Programs, the grants awarded will be used to enhance outdoor recreational facilities such as trails, campgrounds, multisports fields, skate and bike parks, and picnic areas.
“Congratulations to the 25 communities receiving the grant funding,” said State Parks Director Armando Quintero. “I look forward to seeing the projects come to fruition and for Californians to start enjoying them. Spending time in the outdoors not only helps us connect with our communities, but it can also support our mental and physical health. A healthier California is good for all of us.”
Clearlake’s $3 million grant tied with those given to several other communities for the largest amount awarded.
It will be used to construct a new multipurpose turf field with lighting and a walking track; a playground; ballfields with lighting — including one softball field, one baseball field, one little league field and two T-ball fields; two picnic areas; and a restroom building.
The project will be built on a portion of a 31-acre property the Clearlake City Council voted to purchase in November 2020. It’s located north of Olympic Drive, behind the Safeway shopping center.
The sports complex is a large project that requires a variety of funding sources to make it happen, Flora said.
Flora said the estimates so far have put the total project cost at about $8 million.
The $3 million announced Monday will be added to funds from Congressman Thompson, Konocti Unified School District, Lake County Tribal Health and the city to reach that $8 million overall cost, Flora said.
“I can’t wait to see the pride our youth have when we are able to host soccer and baseball tournaments right here in Clearlake in a world class facility,” he said.
State Parks said it evaluated $235.8 million in Regional Park Program funding requests for the available $23.1 million in this application cycle.
For the Rural Recreation and Tourism Program, the department evaluated $182.3 million in funding requests for the available $23.1 million.
“These park improvements are an exciting development as we invest in communities across our diverse state,” said California Secretary for Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot. “All Californians deserve access to recreational opportunities, so that they can enjoy the outdoors and the cultural, historic, and natural resources California offers.”
Programs such as the Regional Park Program help advance the Outdoor Access for All initiative championed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom and the Natural Resources Agency’s Outdoors for All initiative.
This effort expands outdoor access to all Californians through focused investments in open space infrastructure, outdoor programming and improvements to permit applications, with a priority of expanding access in underserved communities.
State Park’s Office of Grants and Local Services, or OGALS, develops grant programs to provide funding for local, state and nonprofit organization projects.
Since 1964, more than 7,400 local parks throughout California have been created or improved from OGALS' grant funding.
Since 2000, OGALS has administered approximately $3 billion in grant funding throughout California.
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