A popular park in Santee will be closed beginning Tuesday and well into 2019 as the city launches a $10 million renovation of the site.
Mast Park – located at 9125 Carlton Hills Blvd., near the San Diego River – will undergo extensive upgrades to many of its amenities, with construction starting now. The city said the project will require the park to be closed to the public until renovations are completed in late 2019, citing safety reasons.
Mast Park is perhaps best known for two unique features: its off-leash dog park and disc golf course.
The city said the dog park area will be reconfigured to include three sections: one dedicated for puppies, another for small dogs and a third for bigger dogs. The disc golf course will also get a facelift. A concession stand will be placed between the dog park and the disc golf course.
Meanwhile, the city said the park’s other amenities – the restroom, shade pavilion, and basketball court – will be replaced with modern facilities. The playground will also be replaced, and the project will add a “nature play area” that includes tree trunks for kids to climb.
The project will also triple the amount of space in the park designated for picnics and add parking to the northwest corner of the park.
The city said another main focus of the renovation is to enhance public safety at the park. This will be addressed with a few additions: a dedicated parking spot reserved for sheriff’s deputies, “improved sight lines” so deputies can see more areas of the park, and a well-lit loop trail for visitors to use.
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The city said most of the mature sycamore, oak and cottonwood trees that provide shade at Mast Park would remain untouched, while new landscape featuring drought-tolerant native plants and dry creek beds is added.
City leaders will host a ceremony Tuesday on the basketball court signaling the groundbreaking of the $10 million renovation project.
According to a press release, the renovations will transform Mast Park “into a showcase of environmental sustainability and a modern facility to serve the next generation.”
Mast Park is one of nine parks in Santee and the oldest in the city of Santee. The nearest parks with play structures for kids are Town Center Community Park West and Town Center Community Park East, and the nearest disc golf courses are the Olive Glen Disc Golf Course in El Cajon or Morley Field in Balboa Park.
