County Supervisor Rich Desmond (front, center) visits the Ancil Hoffman Park Overlay worksite. Project leaders include (left) Nate Freeman of Granite Construction and county staffers Tom Andrew, Spencer Ord, Melissa Jones and Mark Little.

CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) - Most Ancil Hoffman Park facilities will remain open during a June-to-August project to repave roads and parking lots in the county park.

With families parking in a nearby meadow, the Effie Yeaw Nature Center last weekend hosted nearly 1,000 NatureFest patrons. At the park’s 18-hole course, it was business as usual.

Recent commencement of the “Park Overlay” project has spawned some community misunderstanding.

“The parks not closed; our golf course and the Nature Center are open. If you’re headed to the Nature Center or to play golf, you’ll be waved in and told where to park,” said Sacramento County senior civil engineer Spencer Ord.  “If you’re just out for a drive, the kiosk attendant will suggest another of our beautiful parks to enjoy. We’re trying to reduce day users until our parking lots are completed. When we repave Tarshes Drive, we’ll detour all traffic via the San Lorenzo entrance.”

Earth-moving machinery is at work in the Ancil Hoffman Golf Course parking lot. The 18-hole course remains open for play.

During a two-week period when road pavement is torn up this month, pedestrian access to roadways will also be limited. Perimeter Park trails will still be accessible. 

The county construction time frame has been criticized. Excavators dug in as schools recessed; as the rafting season launched; as park wildlife birthed its young and golfers hit the greens. 

“When our funding was in place, we wanted to get started as soon as possible,” said Sacramento County Supervisor Rich Desmond. “Timing was determined by the contractor’s schedule and the weather. With a May start, work will be finished in time for people to enjoy the results while it’s still summer. Any inconvenience now is a small price to pay for decades of benefit.”

More than 30 years beyond normal road lifespan, park routes have long been a county improvement goal. Thousands of vehicles per day (up to 2,500 on summer weekends) have degraded road asphalt. Pitted with potholes, Tarshes Drive is a rocky road. Tree roots have opened huge cracks in parking areas. 

The project includes landscaping and barriers to contain tree roots and preserve surfaces. Four-foot bollards will define Tarshes Drive pedestrian and bike lanes. Road bumps will curtail speeding. ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) amenities will be improved. As Operation Overlay wraps in August, fresh striping will ice the cake.

While the Effie Yeaw Nature Center parking lot is torn up, a pedestrian bridge links temporary vehicle space - in a nearby meadow - to the educational facility.

Granite Construction and five county agencies are involved.

“This project’s an example of our departments working as a team,” Ord said. “This includes environmental planners. We’re glad 60-year-old asphalt grindings will be recycled to form new road base. This saves time, emissions and money.”

Totaling almost $3 million, Park Overlay costs are funded by Sacramento Regional Parks, with a contribution from golf course proceeds.

Park users should exercise caution during construction, advised Ord.  

“There’ll be excavators, graders, loaders and water trucks on the roads,” Ord said.  “Some big vehicles have restricted vision. We can still enjoy the park but we’ll all need to take care.”

Learn about Ancil Hoffman Park improvements at sacdot.saccounty.net/Pages/Ancil-Hoffman-Park-Overlay-Project.aspx.