Fuji Park improvements to be mostly complete by mid-March

Inclement winter weather has delayed completion of improvements at Fuji Park, but officials said Tuesday they expect to have most of the work done by March.

"We're trying to get back on track," said Steve Kastens, Parks and Recreation director.

Brightly colored playground equipment has been partially installed. The slides and other final pieces will not go in until the rest of the park is finished, Kastens said.

The parking lot surrounding the exhibition hall is nearly complete and will be paved in the next two months, in time for an event.

"That's the only headache we want to get out of the way," Kastens said.

Nearly all work is expected to be finished by mid-March, including underground irrigation and electrical systems, landscaping, the playground and the parking area.

The $3.08 million project is being funded by the sale of adjacent land, now the site of Costco, and funds from the Quality of Life initiative passed by voters in 1996.

The project includes installation of a new restroom building. It had to be redesigned to better meet American Disabilities Act requirements, which delayed the installation of the facility until mid-April, said John Benzing, the city's construction manager.

The restroom building will include electrical panels that run walkway lighting and provide electricity for vendors throughout the park. Until the facility is installed, the park will be without those features, Benzing said.

City staff is continuing to meet with the Fuji Park Users Coalition, a group of people involved in the larger shows and exhibits that regularly use park facilities, to plan future improvements to the park.

Another round of construction on the second phase may begin in November after the busy summer event season, Kastens said.