Brea Looking for Architect for Arovista Park Renovation

The Arovista Park modernization concept blueprint for renovating Arovista Park in Brea, Calif. Courtesy of the City of Brea

BREA, Calif.—The City of Brea is selecting an architect for a project to modernize the city’s 35-year-old Arovista Park to make it more accessible for the elderly and people with disabilities while encouraging an active lifestyle in the community.

As the 14-acre park continues to wear and tear after its last renovation in the 1990s, the city started planning in 2020 and collecting community feedback for a projected renovation design.

The city staff is currently reviewing proposals to select a landscape firm that would adjust and finalize the design and plan for construction to start based on the available budget, Brea’s Assistant City Manager Chris Emeterio told The Epoch Times on June 1.

The Arovista Park modernization concept blueprint for renovating Arovista Park in Brea, Calif. Courtesy of the City of Brea

To make it easier for children and adults of all ages and all abilities to enjoy the outdoors safely, the proposed plan features an all-accessible playground, which would be the first of its kind in North Orange County.

Considering the growing aging population, the city is also providing fun and more accessible amenities for the elderly by adding game tables and pickleball courts. Walking trails would be modernized to include better lighting and designed for ease of accessibility.

Emeterio said with the park’s proximity to the Brea Senior Center, the added features will “enhance” the lives of active aging adults.

Residents can look forward to the planned upgrades that can support more community sporting events, including golf safety netting, an exercise area for adults, baseball fields, and courts for basketball and volleyball.

Other essential improvements include more parking spaces, restrooms, and a bridge connecting the east and west sides of the park.

An undated photo of Arovista Park in Brea, Calif. Courtesy of the City of Brea

The cost of project design is estimated to be $450,000, with an additional $230,000 for golf safety netting, which has been approved by the city council last month and will come from the city’s available balance in the Park Development Fund.

The city staff estimated the project’s total cost to be $2–4 million, according to last year’s projection.

The Park Development Fund is a state-funded grant that reimburses city recreation projects that have no negative impact on the environment or historically significant sites.