The RPE Joint Use Park officially opened January 17th, 2022!
If gates not opened/closed as per the below schedule, email Dave Lee, Area Manager for the City of San Diego Parks and Recreation Department:
DavidL@sandiego.gov
Report off-leash dogs to San Diego Humane Society’s Humane Law Enforcement, 619-299-7012 (press 1).
Normal hours for community use:
School day:
- AM: Sunrise or 6:15 until 7:10
PM: 2:30 until dusk
Early dismissal school day (Wednesday)
- AM: Sunrise or 6:15 until 7:10
PM: 12:40 until dusk
School work day (staff only, no students)
- AM: Sunrise or 6:15
PM: Until dusk
Non-school day, including holidays and weekends:
- AM: Sunrise
PM: Until dusk
City holiday, but still a school day:
- AM: Sunrise or 6:15 until 7:10
PM: 2:30 until dusk
Friday, December 17th, 2021 Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
One decade after the Rolando Park Community Council (RPCC) advocated for a field and park at Rolando Park Elementary, Principal Anthony DeLuca and students joined San Diego Unified Interim Superintendent Dr. Lamont Jackson & Board of Education President Dr. Sharon Whitehurst-Payne to celebrate two new joint-use fields .
Also part of the celebration were former City Councilmember Marti Emerald, current Parks and Recreation Director Andy Field, former RPCC President Betty White, current RPCC Co-President Lynn Edwards, and San Diego Unified Chief Facilities Planning & Const. Officer Lee Dulgeroff.
Find more photos on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/RolandoParkCommunityCouncil.
November 2021 update
On November 5, the School District and Design Team for the park made the decision that the general contractor needs to extend their sod maintenance an additional 4 weeks prior to turnover to the City. The new tentative date is now December 15.
September 2021 update
Representatives from the City of San Diego’s Parks and Recreation department have completed their walk-through of the park and the tentative date to turn the park over to the city is November 22 (as long as the turf stays healthy).
July 2021 update
- All trees and shrubs have now been planted.
- Sod was installed July 12-15 and the long-standing issue with the city water main has been resolved.
- Now officially in the contractor’s maintenance period (120 days) to allow the sod to establish.
- We will have a firm date in September for the end of the maintenance period, the date that the city assumes responsibility for maintenance, and hopefully, a date for the ribbon-cutting ceremony and formal opening of the park.
May/June 2021 update
- The school district has addressed concerns about the lighting in the parking lot:
- Lights are now on a timer and shut off at 10pm nightly
- Lights now have shields to reduce glare and aim the lighting downward
- The city’s request to modify the original approved plans to the water mainline have caused a 115-day delay to the schedule.
- There are continued issues with the top soil. The landscaper has been sampling weekly and is leaching the soil before sod can be installed. Sod is now scheduled to be installed in early July.
- Opening date for the park is now delayed until November.
–March 2021 update–
- On schedule to complete construction by end of May
- Sod will be installed, reducing the maintenance period
- Waiting for city review to resolve water supply issue
–November 2020 update–
- Demolition and grading are now complete. The old parking lot is gone. As per requirements, the elevation of the upper field was raised four feet! That explains all of the trucks coming and going the last two weeks.
- Drainage and irrigation pipes are now being installed and both are scheduled to complete by November 20th.
- The original plan was to seed the grass, but the school district has put in a change request to install sod instead. This will shorten the period of time after it’s installed before it can be used.
- Construction is still on schedule, although our upcoming rainy season could impact that.
Questions or concerns about the park? Email contactus@rolandopark.org and we’ll get an answer by the next update.
–Moving Forward, Fall 2020–
The last approvals before construction starts:
- On September 9, the City Council Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods approved the annual maintenance budget for the park. The city provides the park maintenance for the next 25 years.
- September 22, the Board of Education awarded the construction contract.
Starting September 28, the contractor will start mobilizing the site over the next few weeks:
- Bringing in their equipment and temporary facilities
- Installing storm water protection and runoff devices
- Installing temporary fencing
- Performing a survey of the site
- Potholing to locate all the existing utilities
- Starting demolition of the existing parking lot, the existing backstops, and fencing that is being replaced.
After this, the grading for the new fields will begin.
Periodic updates will be provided here as we receive them.
Announcement from SDUSD today about the park.
On January 18, 2018, the City of San Diego Park and Recreation Council approved the final General Development Plan (GDP) for the Rolando Park Elementary Joint Use Park. The GDP is now being transitioned to the San Diego Unified School District Facilities Planning and Construction. Stay tuned for details as they become available.
Phase 1, which is the top field in the drawing should be completed in early 2019. Phase 2, the bottom field is dependent on city funding for completion.
Our District 4 City Council representative, Council President Myrtle Cole, has made the additional funding to complete the park one of her top priorities for 2019.
