The city of Fresno is making another attempt at restoring Granite Park, which has taken a beating over the last seven years.Big dreams for Granite Park went bust years ago. Some parts are shuttered, others are open, but a new project means new hope.
“I think just having more exposure, more people that are here at the Park, Granite Park will see that we're here,” said business manager, Marie Garringer.
Garringer manages Metalpark and says she could use an influx of customers.
“We're kind of set out at the back here at Granite Park so a lot of people, we're not gonna have a lot of people just walking by and looking in the window,” said Garringer.
City council member Larry Westerlund's proposal is a complete 180. It would be a wakeboarding and soccer complex that could be a huge draw.
The city was stuck with over five million dollars in bad granite park debt. This could pay it down
“This project is not gonna pay for all of that debt, but it'll go a long way to taking a big chunk outta it,” said Westerlund.
Soccer is wildly popular in the Valley. Investors say it could pay off big. The new project features smaller, closed off soccer fields.
“In addition to that, you actually surround each field with fence or a board which allows the ball to be rebounded off that board,” said investor, Michael Noble.
A huge wakeboarding facility will use cables to pull thrill seekers and the water would re-charge city supplies.
“We bring those kids out here and we teach them how to wakeboard and with the cable system we have over a 95% success rate,” said investor, Scott Townsley.
Westerlund is optimistic. The project would be funded by investors, not taxpayers.
“I'm hoping to see this whole area really explode,” said Garringer.
Westerlund will present his plans at the next council meeting. It could be voted on as early as next month.
