Volunteers build Union Pacific Park a playground, another step in returning the Fullerton space to the public

After more than 20 years of setbacks, Union Pacific Park in Fullerton is in the final stages of a complete overhaul and should be back open to the public by the end of the year.

One of the quickest projects in its rejuvination was likely Saturday’s playground build, when volunteers helped put in new slides, ladders, a spinner and swings, all in one day. The city’s Parks & Recreation Department partnered with KABOOM! a national nonprofit that helps build playgrounds in underserved communities, on the project.

The swings were the most requested feature, said Edgar Rosales, senior administrative analyst with the parks department.

The 3,500-square-foot playground structure is divided into an area for 2- to 5-year-olds and an area for 5- to 12-year-olds, Rosales said. “There’ll be an ADA pathway to get to the playground.”

In addition to the playground, upgrades to Union Pacific Park will include bike and pedestrian trails, pickleball courts, basketball court repairs, a picnic area and a community garden.

The project is being funded in part by a community development block grant of $355,500 and a grant from KABOOM! for about $300,000, with funding for KABOOM! provided by Smile Generation, a dental office network.

An additional $400,000 is being provided by the city’s park dwelling fund, a pool of money collected from fees paid by housing developers and earmarked for parks and recreation projects.

Purchased by the city in 1998, the 1.2-acre park is situated along West Truslow Avenue, just south of the rail line and west of Harbor Boulevard.

The city paid nearly $1.3 million for the property and spent another $1.2 million in 2003 to convert it into a park. But not long after poly aromatic hydrocarbons, commonly known as lampblack, were found in the soil.

A dispute between the city and Southern California Gas over the plan to remediate the contamination led to a lawsuit filed by the city against the gas company.

The parties reached an out-of-court settlement, requiring the gas company to give $800,000 to $1 million to the city to pay for the cleanup.

The soil has since been fully remediated and declared safe for public use by the Department of Toxic Substances in 2011, clearing the way for renovations, but lack of funding kept the process from moving forward.

“By the time, they cleaned it up, they had to dig holes in the playground and dig holes in the basketball court,” Rosales said. “The turf died and after so many years of it just being there and nobody using it, it wasn’t functional anymore.”

Then in 2021, the city formed an ad hoc committee to seek community input from the community on future upgrades — at one point even an urban farm was considered.

“Union Pacific Park’s reopening represents a new chapter for this neighborhood,” Rosales said. “The new playground will be at the heart of the park — where children can play, and families can connect and grow.”