By Ben Antonius | Daily Republic | March 14, 2009
Former mayor Gary Falati helps his daughters Taylor, 14, and Jordan, 10, left to right, break ground on the new Falati Park during the Friday afternoon ceremony. Photo by Mike Greener
FAIRFIELD - The Gold Ridge neighborhood's long-awaited park finally saw progress Friday, even if it was only of the ceremonial variety.
A few golden shovels worth of dirt were moved around Friday afternoon in a ground-breaking ceremony for the park, which will be named in honor of retired Mayor Gary Falati.
The park will be located on Falati Lane, between Joseph Gerevas Drive and Josiah Wing Drive, in the far east Fairfield neighborhood off Peabody Road.
Falati was on hand for the event, as were many of the neighbors who organized the effort to get the park built.
Falati Park was slated for construction several years ago, but the city said it could no longer afford to pay for maintenance of new parks. To get bulldozers moving, residents had to agree to pay $85 per year for upkeep, which they did by a wide margin.
'I'd like to thank the neighborhood for possessing the intestinal fortitude to tax themselves,' Falati said.
Fairfield has hired Rocklin-based Gold Valley Construction to build the park. The $1.1 million park was designed in a joint effort between the residents and the city. Completion is scheduled for early 2010.
The 6.8-acre park will borrow concepts from several other parks across the city. It will have an 'interactive water play feature' similar to Mankas Park, a gazebo similar to the one at Dover Park and a 'skate node,' which is a miniature version of the skate park at Allan Witt Park. The park will also have a grassy expanse that would work for sports practices, although it would not have actual competition fields.
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