Calwa Recreation and Parks District is excited to announce the launch of the Calwa Park Master Plan - a consolidated document that will help guide the District and community to seek more funding and support to make sure the complete future renovation of Calwa Park is aligned with the community’s needs and aspirations. We invite YOU to share your ideas and feedback by completing the community survey and joining us at the Public Open House once its scheduled. Thank you in advance for your support! 

Help us launch Calwa Park into the future! Download our Calwa Park Master Plan Guide and spread the word!

About the Park

Calwa Park is a community park in full definition. Calwa Recreation and Parks District (“CRPD” “District”) was formed in 1955 by community members in Calwa with the mission “[t]o provide and maintain recreation facilities, programs, and community enrichment activities that offer opportunities to promote social, physical and mental well-being for residents of the district and the greater community” (CRPD, n.d.). The District manages only one park— Calwa Park—which serves as the main recreational outlet for community members, including those from surrounding cities.

Rooted in History

The community of Calwa has a deep history that led to the formation and development of Calwa Park. Originally, the community of Calwa developed around the Santa Fe Railroad corridor. After a tragic death of a neighborhood child that was playing in one of the commercial buildings nearby, the railroad donated land for a community park in the mid-1950s (Hattersley-Drayton, 2013). Neighbors soon organized pancake fundraisers to finance the development of Calwa Park and provide ongoing maintenance support via a special property tax district—Calwa Recreation and Parks District. Calwa Park has imprinted the lives of community members for generations with positive recreational and outdoor experiences, bonding diverse people together. A trip to the park on a Friday afternoon will amaze any spectator. People of all ages utilize different spaces from dancing Zumba under the trees, eating dinner at the snack shack, playing sports on the athletic fields, or creating art on the Art/Free Wall.

Recent Accomplishments 

Calwa Park has gone through different stages and has experienced decline and deterioration because of decreased property tax revenues as development in the area has changed. Boundary changes between the City of Fresno and Fresno County have failed to properly protect the boundaries of the District—making it difficult for the District to renovate its outdated facilities on its own. Last year, Fresno Building Healthy Communities (Fresno BHC), in partnership with Friends of Calwa, Inc. and Calwa Recreation and Park District, engaged the community of Calwa in a robust outreach effort, and submitted an application to California Department of Parks and Recreation Statewide Park Program for a $6.6 million Prop 68 grant. The State awarded a grant to Calwa Park to fund a new state-of-the-art playground, picnic area, gathering plaza, and walking loop. In addition to the Prop 68 grant, Calwa Park also received a community grant from Kaiser Permanente to renovate the swimming pool, which has been abandoned for more than a decade. That project is now under construction.

Read more: Brand new pool to be built in Calwa (KSEE24)

Read more: Fresno park will receive a major face lift thanks to CA Prop 68 funding (Fresno Bee)

Read more: People power leads to $6.6M park investment in Fresno (Fresno BHC)

Take the survey (English)

Tome la encuesta (Espanol)

Looking Ahead: A Master Plan for Calwa Park

To build up on this momentum, and to make sure the complete renovation of Calwa Park in the future is aligned with the community’s needs and aspirations, and to provide a consolidated document that the Park District and community can use to seek more funding and secure the community’s continued stewardship, Fresno BHC is contributing additional funding to complete a Master Plan for Calwa Park. The Calwa Park master planning process will continue to engage park users of all ages as well as stakeholders to analyze existing conditions, to advance the vision of the community, identify financing gaps and areas of dire need for proper maintenance, and to recommend funding and partnership opportunities.

Timeline