South San Francisco is hustling to upgrade Orange Memorial Park, moving on a near-term restroom overhaul while construction keeps rolling on the long-planned aquatic center next door. The bathroom work is aimed at adding touchless fixtures, brighter lighting and better ventilation in time for the busy spring event season, with city staff pointing to packed weekends and tournament play since a new synthetic sports field opened a couple of years ago.
Council Signs Off On Restroom Facelift
At last Wednesday's meeting, the City Council unanimously voted to bring on consultant B.E.A.M. Construction and push ahead with a restroom renovation estimated at about $258,000, with most of the money coming from federal, COVID-era Community Development Block Grant dollars that must be spent by June, according to the San Mateo Daily Journal. Parks Manager Josh Richardson told the council the roughly 25-year-old facilities can no longer be cleaned to a standard that is acceptable, and staff said upgrades like touchless fixtures, enhanced lighting and improved ventilation should make it easier to keep things presentable when big crowds hit the park. A portion of the bill will be covered by city funds.
$49 Million Aquatic Center Keeps Taking Shape
At the same time, work on the replacement Orange Memorial Park Aquatic Center is continuing alongside the restroom project, with the city planning a roughly $49 million complex next to the existing pool. According to the City of South San Francisco, the two-pool facility will feature an indoor pool with seven lap lanes and an outdoor pool with 10 lap lanes, along with a veterans' memorial, an entry plaza, an activity room and a swim lounge.
Why Neighbors Are Feeling The Impact
City staff says the timing is no accident. The new synthetic sports field opened a little over two years ago and has driven average monthly park visits from about 8,000 to as high as 30,000 in the busiest months, putting serious strain on aging infrastructure during concerts and tournaments. The city’s Concert in the Park series alone can draw thousands of people for a single show, and last year’s headliner Ozomatli helped deliver one of the largest crowds yet. Richardson and other staff told the council that those attendance spikes were a key reason for moving the restroom overhaul to the front of the line, a point also noted by the San Mateo Daily Journal.
Deadlines, Dollars And What Happens Next
Because the federal CDBG funds come with use-it-or-lose-it rules, staff said the city needs to lock in those grant dollars this spring so design and bidding can move quickly. City legislative records show that Measure W remains the primary funding mechanism for the new aquatic center and that staff have been steadily advancing design and construction approvals as the larger project heads toward a 2026 completion window, per the City of South San Francisco legislative record. Neighbors can expect the restroom refresh to be fast-tracked, while the aquatic center is slated to open in phases as work continues on the sprawling new complex.
