The City of Costa Mesa will receive $3.2 million in funds from Orange County’s American Rescue Plan Act, created to help state and local governments recover from COVID-19.
The money will be used to construct a café in the city’s Lions Park as well as expand the city’s skate park.
Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley suggested the funding, which local governments can use to invest in “long-lived assets,” according to federal authorities.
Foley selected the café and skate park projects amongst a list of city needs and priorities, according to a city staff report.
“I’m thrilled to support these community projects that have been waiting their turn for many years,” Foley told The Epoch Times. “These projects were on my list when I was Mayor of Costa Mesa, and the city still had them unfunded. I saw this as an opportunity to create places for people to come together in the community.”
Lions Park Café will receive $1.2 million towards its construction and will offer outdoor dining. The opening date is undetermined, but construction is set begin in early 2023, according to city officials.
According to city officials, 50 percent of its earnings will be given to the Orange County Public Library system for materials and programming.
The city’s current Skate Park—at Arlington and Junipero drives—will receive $2 million from the funds, which will go toward expansion and new amenities including a designated area for beginner skaters, and a pump track that will feature a closed circular loop with bumps and berms that create momentum, allowing skaters to travel without pushing off the ground for speed.
“We’re in dire need of a skatepark,” Costa Mesa City Councilman Manuel Chavez said during a Dec. 6 council meeting. “While unfortunately we can’t get one yet in our part of town, we can at least know that our current ones are going to get expanded due to these grants.”
Chavez also said the cafe was part of the city’s vision for years.
“Thanks to the contribution of the County of Orange, we’re going to have that vision be fully realized,” he said.
