By Rosita Ventura-Gomez

Even if you have been hiding in your homes from the extreme heat, it’s obvious that the city of Chowchilla has been going through renovations. Many residents of Chowchilla have expressed their curiosity about the amount of construction that is happening and its purpose. Well, this is what you need to know.

What is going on at Edward Ray Park?

In one of Chowchilla’s popular parks, Edward Ray Park, there has been noticeable construction in the soccer field and humongous black pipes laying in the parking lot. Edward Ray Park is undergoing two projects: the Urban Water Runoff Project and Pickleball Courts and Lighting project.

In an email sent by Stacy Wisener, Deputy Director of Recreation and Community Engagement, the Urban Water Runoff Project is to improve Chowchilla’s “long-standing issues with flooding and inadequate drainage within the city’s historic core.” According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, urban runoff is also known as stormwater that collects any type of outdoor water that doesn’t properly soak into the ground. This project will capture 10,753,083 gallons of any water that flows into the storm drains per year. Contractors of the Urban Water Runoff Project will install 6,600 feet of storm drain on Sonoma Ave from 5th St to 15th. The City of Chowchilla was able to secure $3,349,635 in grants to fund this project with the aid of the CA State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) StormWater Grant Program’s (SWGP). The estimated completion of this project will be in December 2024.

Furthermore, the second project at Edward Ray Park is the pickleball court and lighting. The City was able to receive funding with the Proposition 68 grant for $177,952 and $89,000 from the Outdoor Access for All Act of 2018 Office of Grants and Local Services (OGALS). With the City of Chowchilla lacking in recreational activities, the mission of this project is to provide fun and enjoyable activities for residents of Chowchilla. The completion of this project is expected in late August 2024.

What’s happening at Chowchilla Union High School (CUHS)?

For many current and past residents of Chowchilla, CUHS is the city’s only high school that allows Chowchilla students to receive a diploma and a gateway to higher education. With the school being 109 years old, students and faculty members feel that it’s time for a much-needed update to its campus.

On June 7, 2022, residents of Chowchilla voted for Measure S, a general obligation (GO) bond for $25.1 million to improve classrooms and the educational experience for CUHS students. According to Chowchilla Union High School Superintendent, Dr. Justin Miller, approximately 22.7 acres of vacant land were donated to CUHS by a family in 2005—and with the school district now having the money—CUHS will now be able to fill the donated land with much-needed updates.

A portion of the donated field will be used for a transport yard for CUHS students. “We are limited on what we can do on AG because of the amount of white fleet and buses, which is not a safe situation for our students,” said Dr. Miller. With the creation of a new transportation center, CUHS will be able to add more classrooms and have more accessibility for bigger projects for Agriculture Students. Currently, this project has been paused by the construction team due to old concrete pipes and bricks.

CUHS is also working to have a new athletic building center and a Career Technology Education (CTE) center building. The completion of these projects is hoped to be by September 2025.

What’s happening on Avenue 25 and Santa Cruz Boulevard?

For those who drive out in the back roads or live near Santa Cruz Boulevard, Avenue 25 and Santa Cruz Boulevard road is closed for construction. According to the city, this construction is a housing development by Century Communities. The construction is in the process of creating 203 single residential units, and this project will create improvements to Washington Road. The Chow Times tried to reach out to Century Communities for more information but did not receive a comment.

If there is any construction happening in the city of Chowchilla that we did not mention, please let us know!