Santa Clara shifts park priorities to keep $256K grant

Santa Clara resident Wesley Dudzinski walks through Maywood Park everyday as part of an hour-plus route between his home and Stevens Creek Boulevard. He said he likes the quiet, greenery and low-traffic surroundings, though he has noticed the park could use more shade during the summer.

But while Dudzinski continues to use the park, a long-planned rehabilitation project remains years away from construction, and the delay has prompted the City Council to approve shifting $256,622 from the Maywood Park Playground Rehabilitation Project to the Henry Schmidt Park Playground Rehabilitation Project, since the Maywood state grant would not be able to meet the required timeline.

The proposed change still requires approval from the California Department of Parks and Recreation, since the council’s Sept. 15 vote would amend the Santa Clara’s state grant under Proposition 68 — a statewide initiative passed in 2018 to help improve local parks.

Santa Clara Parks & Recreation Director Damon Sparacino said money was allocated from Maywood to Henry Schmidt Park because the city was at risk of losing the money altogether.

“The Henry Schmidt project was selected because it is an eligible recreational capital improvement project that is further along in the project delivery process and is anticipated to be completed before the Proposition 68 grant deadline of June 30, 2028,” Sparacino told San José Spotlight. “The Proposition 68 grant required the agency to match the funds for the project. The Henry Schmidt Park project has sufficient Measure I (funds) to meet the grant’s matching requirements.”

City voters in 2024 approved Measure I, a 30-year, $400 million infrastructure bond that will be used for facility repairs and upgrades, including for parks. Santa Clara faces a roughly $624 million infrastructure deficit, with more than $200 million that won’t be addressed with Measure I funds.

“We are one of the richest cities in the area, and we do not seem to be able to do any of this stuff (efficiently),” District 4 Councilmember Kevin Park, whose district encompasses Henry Schmidt and Maywood parks, told San José Spotlight.

Much of Henry Schmidt Park is fenced off as construction continues. The tennis and basketball courts remain open, as does a pathway leading to the community center. The revamping of the park includes an expanded playground, group fitness stations, walking-path improvements, parking lot resurfacing, lighting upgrades and other park improvements.

Suarez & Munoz Construction Inc., which is overseeing construction, declined to comment.

The city said the Maywood project has not been canceled or changed and remains funded in the city’s 2026-27 and 2027-28 capital improvement program budget. Community outreach and schematic design are expected to begin in spring 2027, according to city officials.

Officials also said the loss of the Proposition 68 money will not reduce the overall funding available for Maywood. Under the proposed funding change, an equivalent $256,622 in Measure I funding would replace the Proposition 68 grant money at Maywood.

The city’s current plan includes a broader slate of improvements than the original grant application, including playground accessibility and safety upgrades, sports court improvements, ADA upgrades, a walking loop, lighting and a shade structure. The project is estimated to cost more than $5 million, compared to the more than $2 million estimate in the original 2020 grant application.

Maywood Park’s playground and tennis courts are open and the park’s restrooms are functioning. The park, located on Pruneridge Avenue, also sits near a school and has open access throughout much of its grounds.

Dudzinski, who said he has worked in the area for years, said the park’s existing amenities appear to be usable.

“It looks OK to me,” Dudzinski told San José Spotlight. “The bathrooms look nice, and then the playground looks fine.”

Contact Maryanne Casas-Perez at [email protected] or @CasasPerezRed on X.