BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Bakersfield’s MLK Park will receive upgrades as part of the city’s new parks and recreation improvement plan, including a new community center, improved athletic fields and new playgrounds.
- The video shows the current condition of MLK Park and depictions of future improvements
- The Recreation and Parks Department unveils a multi-million dollar, 10-year plan to renovate and develop parks throughout Bakersfield.
This is the site of the new community center at MLK Park. This and other parks will receive a much-needed renovation as part of the City of Bakersfield’s new Parks and Recreation Improvement Plan.
Walking through MLK Park, it is easy to see that the property needs some renovations.
“I grew up here playing basketball and softball in the church leagues. When I came back after 30 years, it pained me a little to see the condition of the stadium,” said Rick Anthony, director of the City of Bakersfield Recreation and Parks Department.
Anthony showed 23ABC some of the problem areas, such as the outdated community center and the old water playground.
“We’re going to tear it all down,” he said. “The new plan is to create a parking lot and an outdoor space here.”
With 30% of the design complete, Anthony said the project could begin in 2026.
Visualizations of the new MLK Park show the modernized community center, improved soccer fields, basketball and pickleball courts, and new playgrounds in areas that are currently mostly bare fields.
“I think it’s groundbreaking to be able to offer more, especially to young people who don’t have the opportunity,” he added.
In addition to MLK Park being renovated, ten other city parks are also scheduled for redesign over the next decade. Most of them are located in the south and east of the city, areas where residents generally have lower incomes, according to Best Neighborhood.
“We are dealing with young people who already have only half the opportunities that well-adjusted and established young people would have, through no fault of their own, and who are now coming to a place where there is even less hope,” said Jovon Dangerfield, executive director of TYM4CHANGE.
His organization has partnered with the city to take over MLK Park in the hopes that the improvements will bring new businesses and events to the area, which he said would change the perception of these communities.
“When you put these kinds of facilities in this kind of environment, it can have a ripple effect throughout the community,” Dangerfield said.
Although all of the funding for MLK Park has not yet been secured, Anthony said the improvements have already been approved by the city. He is now continuing to seek donors and awaiting approval of the overall master plan.
“I know the benefits firsthand and I know what the transformation we are proposing can do for this community.”
You can find the complete plan in detail here.
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