A new park by 2016: Marina Park under budget and on schedule, Newport says
Newport Beach’s Marina Park is running under budget and on schedule for a spring 2016 opening, the city says.
Work began in December on 10 acres on the Balboa Peninsula. An updated city estimate puts the cost at $38.3 million instead of the original $39.5 million.
During the first of four phases of the project, 57 mobile homes were cleared from the site, on the bay side of Newport Boulevard between 15th and 19th streets. Newport Beach had bought the homes for $35,000 each as part of a settlement agreement. Forty-seven were purchased by two Orange County companies and moved to other locations. The rest were demolished.
As that portion was finished in March, marina construction and area stabilization began.
Under a $4.6 million contract granted by the city in December, Dutra Construction Co. installed hundreds of stone columns deep into the soil to protect the site against seismic activity, Public Works Director Dave Webb said. The marina was dredged, yielding sand that was distributed among various Newport Beach locations such as China Cove and Newport Pier.
The company’s work is expected to be finished soon.
Next is the third and most expensive phase: In May, KPRS Construction was awarded $19 million to finish clearing the site and construct park buildings.
A Girl Scout building along with public tennis courts that once lined Balboa Boulevard near the mobile homes were demolished. The foundation is being carved where a sailing center and community center of roughly equal sizes will be built. Cement may be poured in October, according to a recent update.
The final phase will be construction of docks for the 23-slip marina.
The park also will feature new restrooms, a playground and a parking lot.
A new Girl Scout Leadership Center will be built and paid for by the Girl Scouts of Orange County after the city’s work is completed, Webb said.
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Sunset Ridge Park nearing completion
Meanwhile, 70% of construction is complete for Sunset Ridge Park at West Coast Highway and Superior Avenue. The park is scheduled for a grand opening Dec. 6, less than a year after construction began.
The restrooms are almost done, the playground is in and the butterfly garden is being planted, Webb said.
The site also will be home to a baseball field, soccer fields and a picnic area.
The total cost is estimated at $8.4 million, Webb said, excluding the $5 million cost of purchasing the land from the state in 2006.
Other recently completed city projects include a nearly $60,000 remodel of the Newport Coast Community Center stage and a $283,000 replacement of the restrooms and picnic structure at San Miguel Park, according to city staff reports.