Project partners take part in the ceremonial groundbreaking for the Friendship Park Beautification Project on Saturday, May 9. Construction on the grant-funded park project is expected to begin in late May or early June. Photo courtesy of Tyler Zepp

WEST LINDA, CA (MPG) - For more than 40 years, Friendship Park has meant different things to different people. For some, it has been an underused stretch of county-owned land in need of investment. For others, it has been a place to garden, gather, play basketball, skate or remember childhood afternoons spent outdoors with family.

On Saturday, May 9, Yuba County officials, community members and project partners gathered at the park on Alicia Avenue to mark the start of a new chapter: a $5.8 million beautification project aimed at transforming the 22.5-acre park into a safer, more welcoming and active public space for West Linda and the surrounding community.

Yuba County Supervisor Renick House said the project reflects conversations with residents who want cleaner neighborhoods, better lighting, safer streets and parks that feel welcoming rather than neglected.

“This project is about a lot more than sidewalks, landscaping and upgraded park features,” House said. “It’s about investing in our people.”

Children participate in a craft activity during the Friendship Park groundbreaking celebration Saturday, May 9. The event included family-friendly activities and remarks from county officials, project partners and community representatives. Photo courtesy of Tyler Zepp

Planned improvements include ADA-compliant walking and biking paths, drought-tolerant landscaping, local art installations, enhanced lighting, community pavilions, sports courts, updated irrigation, safety upgrades and, if funding allows, a bike track. The project also will preserve and incorporate one of the park’s most important existing features: the Hmong community garden, cultivated by local families for decades.

“When our families see new parks, safer streets and visible improvements happening in their neighborhoods, it sends an important message: Your community matters,” House said.

That message was echoed by Nicholas Clavel, Yuba County Public Works project manager for Friendship Park, who helped guide the project through the design phase alongside county staff, Melton Design Group and other partners.

“Parks are more than just a scenic retreat. They’re community infrastructure,” Clavel said. “They provide health benefits and quantifiably increase neighborhood worth. For me, it’s really a gift that my job involves connecting communities with outdoor assets like this park.”

The new design will include several play areas, renovated basketball courts, pickleball courts, expanded parking, gathering spaces and more than 200 new trees. Clavel said the design team wanted to lean into the park’s name by using yellow, the color of friendship, throughout the design. Metal yellow butterflies will be placed throughout the park, creating a scavenger hunt element for visitors.

The realization of the project did not happen quickly or easily. Former Yuba County Public Works Director Dan Peterson said Friendship Park was not originally high on his priority list. At the time, he was focused on roads, bridges, drainage and other major public works needs. But Rachel Olson, a former Yuba County employee, urged him to take another look.

Peterson eventually visited the park, ate lunch there and spent an hour walking the grounds.

“When I went back to the office, I apologized to Rachel, and this became a high-priority project,” Peterson said.

From there, the county worked with Melton Design Group to create plans, renderings and cost estimates. The first grant application was unsuccessful, but Peterson said the team persisted, eventually securing funding through the Urban Greening Program and the Clean California Program.

Members of the Hmong garden community are recognized during the Friendship Park groundbreaking celebration Saturday, May 9. The Hmong community has cultivated garden space at the park for decades, and the gardens are expected to be preserved as part of the park’s redesign. Photo courtesy of Tyler Zepp

For Chong Yang, with the Hmong American Association, the groundbreaking was not only about new construction. It was also about honoring the people who continued giving the park purpose when much of the broader community may not have recognized its value.

Yang spoke about the park through the lens of his own family. His parents live nearby, and his daughter and her cousins spent time there when they were younger. When he asked his daughter if she wanted to attend the groundbreaking, she recognized it as “the dangerous one” but quickly added that she loved the park.

“It’s a place that needs improvement, but can still be loved,” Yang said. “A place that can carry concern, but still carry cherished memories.”

Yang said the Hmong community has used Friendship Park in one form or another for more than 40 years. While much of the park was underused by the broader community, the garden area remained active, cared for and meaningful.

“For many years, much of Friendship Park was underused by the broader community,” Yang said. “But for the Hmong community, the park was never empty. It had a purpose. It had a life.”

As the county moves forward with construction, Yang said it is important the gardens are understood as part of the park’s story, not separate from it. Current design plans integrate the existing Hmong gardens into the broader landscape of the park.

Construction is expected to begin in late May or early June. For safety reasons, the park is expected to close for about a year during construction, with reopening anticipated in late summer or fall 2027.