Darlene Castillo has spent many hours at Silverado Park. A 50-year Long Beach resident, she said she practically raised her daughter and grandaughter there.

On Saturday, she happened to be on hand at the groundbreaking ceremony for a new playground that the next generation of kids at Silverado Park will enjoy.

“It’s been a longtime due, and I’m so happy to see that the city has noticed us and our needs and we’re going to be growing,” Castillo said. “This is going to put our city, our Westside part of the city, into a state of being proud.”

The construction, funded with $1.5 million in federal funds and $2.5 million from Measure A sales taxes, is intended to give Silverado Park a signature playground. It will replace the current dated equipment and expand the play area from 5,800 square feet to just over 8,100 square feet. Universally accessible play equipment will also be a major component.

A rendering of the planned new playground at Silverado Park. Courtesy the city of Long

The new playground is expected to open to the public in the fall.

“This will be more than just slides and swings; it’s a place where families will gather to create lasting memories and our community will grow stronger,” Tom Modica, Long Beach city manager, said. “It will be an iconic place where kids will say, ‘I want to go to Silverado Park playground,’ because that’s where they’ve had amazing memories.”

Steve Scott, the deputy director of Parks, Recreation and Marine, speaks in front of the old play equipment that’s slated to be replaced, Saturday, March 1, 2025, as children play in the background. Photo by Samuel Chacko.

Silverado Park, with its pool and gym, is already a neighborhood hub in West Long Beach, which has far less park space per capita than some other areas of the city, such as East Long Beach.

“Silverado Park … has a lot of those elements that bring the whole city together,” said Marilyn Surakus, a project management bureau manager, with the Department of Public Works. “We don’t have a lot of indoor pools in Long Beach and my daughter came for her swim lesson. … It’s really exciting to see that we’re investing more in this beloved park.”

Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson greets members of the community just before the groundbreaking on Saturday, March 1, 2025. Photo by Samuel Chacko.

Mayor Rex Richardson said parks have a way of becoming cornerstones of individual neighborhoods: “There’s something about the role of the parks [and] the role the playgrounds play that correlate to the pride that people feel in their community.”