LODI, Calif. — A newly completed construction project at Lodi's Blakely Park will save the city nearly one million gallons of water each year, city officials say.
The construction included adding new turf, an irrigation system, a basketball court, a soccer field, and renovating a baseball diamond at Blakely Park.
"That was long overdue," said Lodi City Councilman Shak Khan, who represents the area. "The kids are really really happy, especially with the new bathrooms they added in there and the baseball field, and with the basketball court."
Construction at the park wrapped up the first week of September. The new irrigation system includes a booster pump, which city officials say will save almost one million gallons of water each year.
"The new controls are tied into our existing weather station which provides ET information and current weather conditions, which assists staff on adjusting irrigation scheduling and run times," said the Lodi city spokesperson, Mary Campbell. "Flo-Watch monitors hydraulic conditions in the field checking for breaks in system piping or valve malfunctions."
In 2017, California's State Parks Department awarded the City of Lodi $882,340 for renovations at Blakely Park that had to be completed by June 30, 2025.
Years later, citing a predicted rise in construction costs, the city of Lodi formally started the project by approving it and selecting a construction firm during a Dec. 2021 meeting.
Khan says in a recent budget, the city of Lodi allocated more money toward parks. He says the money will go to more renovations and improvements soon including adding a new cricket field and lighting at one local park.
"We're glad that we got that grant and we're looking forward to getting our improvements into our other parks as well," Khan said. "The main focus in every city is our homeless, drug issues, crimes, and the parks are not left over, so we're glad that you were able to get this done."
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