Board to consider cash infusion to support Mecca Sports Park improvements

MECCA, Calif. (KESQ) - The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday is slated to sign off on a $325,000 allocation to support a project at the Mecca Sports Park, enabling the addition of amenities intended to enhance the space.   

The Riverside County Executive Office is seeking the appropriation from the Unincorporated Communities Initiative Fund. A funding agreement between the county and Desert Recreation District, stipulating how the money can be used, will additionally be under consideration as part of the board's policy agenda.   

The 6.67-acre park, located in the area of 66th Avenue and Highway 111, officially opened in October 2023.   

"The park has fields for the community to play sports, outdoor exercise equipment, a splash pad for cooling off and a gazebo,'' the Desert Recreation District stated at the time.

In February 2020, the district secured $5.8 million in state funding for construction, according to published reports. With the $325,000 in UCI funding, the goal now is to build on that original investment.   

The funds would go toward placement of benches, a flagpole, a plaque, a planter box with irrigation and lighting and a shade structure over the existing playground, according to the Executive Office.  

"Through the community outreach process, residents expressed a desire for additional amenities since the opening of the park,'' the EO stated in documents posted to the board's agenda.  

UCI was established during the 2021-22 fiscal year to address infrastructure, service and other needs in the most "disadvantaged communities" within the county. Funding has increased each fiscal year since then, based largely on the support expressed in community surveys.

About $10 million was set aside in the previous fiscal year.   

The funding is generally divided equally among the county's five supervisorial districts for a variety of projects.   

Under the proposed funding agreement, if contractors hired by the Desert Recreation District are unable to complete the project by June 30, 2027, the district must return any unspent county funds.