Many years ago, the homeowners in La Choya assigned a large block of land across from the Community Center to the City of Puerto Peñasco to be used as a public park.
Homeowners brought down playground equipment, built picnic gazebos and installed barbecue grills. They poured a slab for a basketball half-court and put a perimeter barrier around the property to keep vehicles out.
Over the years, the community services association has provided routine maintenance in the park – weeding, pruning, watering and painting. About six years ago, a pickle ball court was added as well.
When new members of the Board of Directors were seated last January, each one took on a committee assignment, one of which is care and enhancement of the park. The first task was repairing playground equipment. New seats were constructed for the teeter-totter and protective plastic sleeves were placed over the handles to make them safer and more comfortable for little hands.
The next upgrade to the playground area will be the swings, replacing the hardware and chains, which have rusted over the years. The slides have held up well so not much will be required in that area.
There aren’t many young children living in La Choya; however, the park gets a lot of use by Peñasco families in the evenings and when school is not in session.
In June, the Board announced a Memorial Tree Program through which additional desert-friendly trees could be planted in memory of loved ones or significant events. The response was immediate and enthusiastic. In less than a month, reservations and payment was received for 19 trees and more are anticipated. Watch for more information about the tree program in an upcoming issue.
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Landscape maintenance worker, José Antiveros, installs the new seats on the teeter-totters at the park in La Choya.