[{"_1":2,"_86":-5,"_87":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_25":26},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_27":28,"_29":30},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[31,74],{"_32":33,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":39,"_40":41,"_42":43,"_44":45,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},"mediaId",6486380,"mediaKeyId","5597478-5d5a86fc798ffa2f962a1c72199d28ab","parentId",5597478,"title","Parks department outlines $61 million in FY25 construction contracts, $41 million senior center and FY26 projects","audioSeconds",2100,"startMs",1968000,"endMs",4068000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5597478-5d5a86fc798ffa2f962a1c72199d28ab&start=1968&end=4068","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5597478-5d5a86fc798ffa2f962a1c72199d28ab/thumbnail_1968000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6486380/Fresno-City/Fresno-County/California/Parks-department-outlines-61-million-in-FY25-construction-contracts-41-million-senior-center-and-FY26-projects","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6486380-f10ce73c33e9137455c900d85bad5c80/orig.mp4?Expires=1769989813&Signature=A-hobJlG6GQ-DEnYYs3icjtdLUnWXvg6yNKuJCP6O~~Q2m8J~4luJuD~vlUJ2vS2emHIjMz-1qDk3WBouZf~ABT0nfCxlUsi4WMHH3eV5jUArEXgWy5WhNjoB~rpfH5KEyuxAkzqrAZ3HME3T00T5YQj5dZFRl3MVYlZy95C~W3vYS8omT8hqQHleM98BzfTCfnE9vy5Xr6D42NR3DjdIyEf4MI4T4RGMSL4BEB4HFLC4xH4rOYF29qAU0A5LVavfSdWxukGS3wLB9zppZaolWCIsjMCYeMLlcxULcvhryTsgSgsBzvTbs2q2mUPhaWkJxbmEmo-VbVUU3JxFEavxA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Fresno, CA","date","2025-08-18T23:59:06Z","article","Parks Department staff gave the Parks, Recreation and Art Commission a final review of fiscal year 2025 capital projects and an advance look at projects funded to begin in FY26, reporting dozens of completed and in-progress projects and explaining how Measure P funds have been leveraged with other sources.

Joseph Portelli, projects administrator with the parks department, told commissioners the department held 20 community engagement events during the fiscal year, completed 22 projects, and had 35 capital improvement projects in construction or pre-construction. “We acquired 1 new property and awarded 30 construction contracts totaling 61,000,000, dollars with 13,000,000 of that being, funded through measure p,” Portelli said.

Portelli highlighted several completed and in-progress projects: the recently opened Broadway Parquet in Central Fresno; replacement of the Roding Park tot lot and Cary Park tot-lot improvements; eight dedicated pickleball courts at Rotary East with sports-court lighting; and 10-acre Southeast Fresno Sports Complex planned with both natural and synthetic turf fields.

He described the city’s senior activity center groundbreaking as “a great milestone.” Portelli said, “This $41,000,000 investment is located on a 4 and a half acre site. The building's about 34,000 square feet, and we'll serve our seniors with a wide range of amenities, heated pool, multi use spaces, recreational opportunities, a library, coffee bar, fitness room, garden areas, and and much, much more.”

Projects slated or under construction for FY26 include Dolores Huerta Park (groundbroken in June, expected substantially complete in 2026), Millburn Overlook (San Joaquin River Parkway connection with benches and viewing stations), Les Kimber Park (restrooms, play areas and wooded overlook), and restroom refurbishments at several neighborhood parks.

Commissioners asked questions about funding sources, maintenance and scheduling. Vice Chair Ward confirmed Radio Park and Dolores Huerta Park had received Proposition 68 funding. Commissioner Barraza asked for data on pickleball demand; staff said demand was driven by community interest and that some tennis courts are being restriped for multiuse. On a budget question, staff said the $165,000 motion from council for the Southeast Fresno Sports Complex would fund a conceptual gym design and community outreach rather than construction.

Staff described maintenance and turf-management plans intended to slow deterioration of fields that receive heavy play, including rotating field closures for aeration, reseeding, fertilization and adjustments to reservation rules to spread demand across fields.

No formal action or vote was taken on the capital portfolio during the workshop; commissioners asked staff to provide more detailed schedules and deferred-submittal lists for specific projects and to supply updates to the commission as projects progress.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Fresno Parks, Recreation, and Arts Commission Meeting 8/18/25","oneSentenceSummary","Parks staff reviewed FY25 capital accomplishments — 22 completed projects, 35 projects in construction or pre-construction, 30 construction contracts totaling $61 million (about $13 million from Measure P) — and previewed FY26 projects including a $41 million senior activity center and several neighborhood parks and sports complexes.","taxTitle","Fresno City, Fresno County, California","taxId",3699,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_32":75,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":76,"_40":77,"_42":78,"_44":79,"_46":80,"_48":81,"_50":82,"_52":83,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":84,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":85,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6486385,"Public commenters and applicants raise transparency, eligibility concerns about expanded Measure P arts grants",419,4070000,4489000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5597478-5d5a86fc798ffa2f962a1c72199d28ab&start=4070&end=4489","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5597478-5d5a86fc798ffa2f962a1c72199d28ab/thumbnail_4070000.jpg","/articles/6486385/Fresno-City/Fresno-County/California/Public-commenters-and-applicants-raise-transparency-eligibility-concerns-about-expanded-Measure-P-arts-grants","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6486385-af6b658942ee9f1bf0e4d53297f4f3eb/orig.mp4?Expires=1769989813&Signature=gtHF5fD1VP3BboS3IAXlzOoQ~xUrIRbBCdkHrZ3wRaI~Iw0qIMFTbQtGMugioZtPGZiMUOlKxBgwSHbIS45okCVMSEBkzDbY~GEzR08E~Hc-iR0UDryIHNn3H8qvAFp6Btq0n~-VcQY5fLX8cQF0t6qM05xPxehdaQeWKd7ZImwcRiNB9V6atJkoiVPNJeXHOit-jP1A82qQTviCxMfcvkilNNPRHWRceyoNB0vZYnW4J82yhmRpBZowLrBgdkjZe7qvZskOwE44xWoHGP1fRjrsjUBrwbyXgU1eQhnTcBGxv8fSAVfoKz1E3Ec6DDXwrRKHKxdLop06vRYdYFxvKw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Parks, Recreation and Art Commission on Aug. 15 heard public input on the city’s expanded-access arts and cultural grant round funded by Measure P, where applicants and observers raised concerns about review-panel transparency, inconsistent procedures and an eligibility denial they said was not explained in written guidelines.

Several speakers told the commission they observed or participated in the review process and found inconsistent rules for panel access, note-taking and recordings, and asked the commission to require clearer, public-facing guidelines for future cycles.

“I wanna thank this commission for the incredible labor done to make this grant round possible,” said Johannes Reinders, a former professional grant writer who volunteered to help several applicants and observed panel sessions. Reinders said the timing and notice for some review sessions were inconsistent and that the Fresno Arts Council limited public attendance at some panel meetings while allowing it at others. He asked that next year’s guidelines include a posted, transparent panel-review schedule and access rules.

Kyle Opeish Schmidt, identified in the record as executive director of the South Tower Community Land Trust, said his organization’s project review included comments from a reviewer he perceived as negative and that an apparent math error affected scoring. He also said some small cultural organizations were penalized for not meeting outreach expectations and that panelists questioned whether certain cultural activities were eligible for funding.

One applicant, Shanay Chan Goulston, said her LOI later reached the panel review sessions but that she was told her project was ineligible because “project staff as applicants are not current city Fresno residents as stated in the application narrative as required by the ordinance.” She said she could not find any such residency requirement in the Measure P materials supplied with the grant application, including the application, LOI guidelines, policy recommendations and the request for proposals. She said the only appeal instruction she received directed her to “reach out to the executive director, Liliya Gonzalez.”

Shanay told commissioners she emailed and called for clarification and that the executive director told her she stood behind the residency claim but did not cite a specific policy section when contacted.

Commissioners and staff acknowledged the concerns and described steps to provide more detail to the commission. Vice Chair Ward and other commissioners said the subcommittee and the Fresno Arts Council were collecting additional information for the commission’s September allocation recommendations and that staff would try to present clearer breakdowns of where funded projects would operate across the city.

Commission staff reminded the commission that the second round of expanded-access applications shows “slightly more than $6,000,000 available to be recommended for awards,” and that the panel review meetings had been held between July 28 and Aug. 15.

The public speakers asked the commission to require consistent, public notice of panel-review sessions, to make recorded panel sessions available to applicants and to ensure written guidelines explicitly list any residency or eligibility rules. Commissioners requested a clearer geographic breakdown (by ZIP code or council district) of recommended awards so the commission can confirm Measure P funds are distributed across the city.

No formal action was taken at the hearing; the item was presented for public comment and to gather input before the commission considers recommended allocations in September.","At a Parks, Recreation and Art Commission hearing on Measure P-funded arts grants, applicants and observers urged clearer review procedures, wider public access to panel sessions and questioned an undocumented residency requirement that led to at least one denial.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Parks department outlines $61 million in FY25 construction contracts, $41 million senior center and FY26 projects

Public commenters and applicants raise transparency, eligibility concerns about expanded Measure P arts grants