The City of Riverbank Parks and Recreation Department hosted a ribbon cutting and grand opening of its new park, Countryside Park, welcoming the public to the festivities on Saturday, Sept. 17. The part of the park that is completed features handicapped accessible playground equipment, with ramps allowing entrance for wheelchairs and others with mobility issues, as well as special swing seats. Another component of this area is that it features artificial turf, the first park in town to do so. An adjoining area is concrete, part basketball court, part permanent corn hole courts, made of concrete, and part picnic area, with shaded, concrete tables and a BBQ pit.

The other half of the block will be planted with grass and lined with trees, according to Parks Director Sue Fitzpatrick, to be installed soon. Since most of the new homes in the area surrounding the new park feature non-grass landscaping, she said it will be a good place for neighbors to play ball with their kids. The park is located at 6145 Beagle Drive, about two blocks south of the varsity baseball diamond on the Riverbank High School campus.

Joining in to celebrate Countryside Park with an official ribbon cutting, overseen by the Riverbank City Council on Saturday, Sept. 17, at 10 a.m. The scissors were handled by Council Member Luis Uribe, in whose District One the park was built. Also participating in the ribbon cutting were Mayor Richard D. O’Brien, and Council Members Darlene Martinez, Cal Campbell, and Rachel Hernandez.

Plenty of neighborhood residents turned out to see the new park and take advantage of the many amenities it offers.