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Residents press council on Pritchard Field timeline and grant accounting; city sets ribbon‑cutting and offers follow‑up
Summary
Public commenters criticized the design and pace of Pritchard Field and urged transparent accounting of multi‑year grant receipts; city staff confirmed a phase‑1 ribbon cutting for April 25 and offered to meet with residents to clarify grant accounting and mobile‑home relocation details.
Residents used the public‑comment period to press council members and staff about the long‑running Pritchard Field project and city grants accounting.
Edwin Gonzalez sharply criticized the Pritchard Field design, saying the park lacks promised athletic facilities and accusing past leaders of broken promises and corruption. Judith Mesa requested a complete, itemized accounting of grant funds received and spent since 2018, citing several specific items that she said were missing from the city’s published totals (she named Proposition 68 funds and other line items) and asked for receipts and explanations for delays; she characterized discrepancies as potential misappropriation.
City Manager Michael Anton responded on behalf of the administration: he confirmed the phase‑1 ribbon cutting for Pritchard Field (Walker Park) is scheduled for Saturday, April 25 at 10 a.m.; he explained the park was re‑scoped following community input and federal funding timing, and said delays in phase‑2 were in part due to federal environmental and grant processing timelines. Anton offered to meet with commenters and review the grant documentation, clarifying that the city had not sent any $250,000 purchase letters to mobile‑home residents (he said the $250,000 figure represented a potential maximum owner benefit in a preliminary relocation plan, not an issued offer).
Councilwoman Quintana and staff reiterated that phase‑1 reflects public input, explained that some properties required remediation (Atlantic/Gage, the Downtown Square site), and encouraged residents to participate in two upcoming community sessions (April 29 and May 2) to advise visioning for a contaminated parcel.
No formal council action was taken in response to the allegations; the city manager invited individuals to meet with staff for a document review. The Pritchard Field ribbon cutting remains scheduled; staff said phase‑2 contract awards will follow federal clearances and are anticipated to return to the council for approval in May.
