Indio Sports Park could open in spring, still needs funding for pickleball and splash pad expansion

Indio officials are targeting an April ribbon-cutting for the new multi-field sports complex on Market Street south of Avenue 44 while navigating state budget shifts to secure funding for future pickleball and splash pad expansions.

The long-awaited Indio Sports Park is expected to officially to the public this spring. During a Community Services Commission meeting on Tuesday, Donn Uyeno, the city’s principal civil engineer, provided a comprehensive update on the project’s progress and noted that the park is on track to be ready for activity by late March or early April.

While a soft opening may occur in March to allow the removal of construction fencing and initial public access, officials intend to wait for the formal ceremony in April to ensure the newly planted summer grass has time to take root.

The project recently faced setbacks related to the park’s massive electrical infrastructure. Uyeno explained that the park’s scale necessitated some custom-made electrical components that faced significant shipping delays.

Those components have since been delivered, and the Imperial Irrigation District is scheduled to install permanent power.

Phase 1 of the Indio Sports Park features 11 soccer fields, a professional football field, baseball field, softball field, perimeter walking bath, restrooms, and a concession stand.

The city is actively seeking funding for Phase 2, which would transform the remaining dirt area of the property into a multi-use recreational complex. Proposed features for the expansion include pickleball and tennis courts, a skate park, sand volleyball court, horsehoe pits, splash pad, large and small dog parks, playground equipment, and a community garden.

The city applied for two state grants to help fund Phase 2, and the state was supposed to get back to the city by November, but never did.

“Our understanding is one of the departments that ran [one of the grants] didn’t make the budget for next year,” Uyeno said. “So we are putting our hopes on the other grant.”

“So we’re kind of in limbo,” he said.

During the meeting, commissioners voiced suggestions for future improvements, including the need for more shade structures over bleachers and between fields to combat the desert heat.

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