Merced Recreation & Parks Commission Meeting — March 23, 2026

The Merced Recreation & Parks Commission met on Monday, March 23, 2026, in the City Council Chamber at the Merced Civic Center, 678 W. 18th Street, Merced, CA. The agenda listed a 5:30 p.m. start; the chair called the meeting to order at 5:33 p.m. The agenda covered approval of the March 3, 2026 minutes, a recommendation on the five-year Stephen Leonard Youth Center lease, and the Parks and Community Services Department's monthly update. Commissioner Weitron was absent with an excused absence, and one commissioner arrived at 5:39 p.m.

Consent Calendar

• The commission unanimously approved the Recreation & Parks Commission minutes of March 3, 2026, on a motion by Commissioner Holloway, seconded by Commissioner Abong.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Ron Radney (Merced Senior Center): In general public comment, Radney announced the senior center's Mother's Day raffle beginning April 1 (tickets $2 each or $6 for $10, with more than $1,000 in prizes), an Alzheimer's Association presentation, a May 13 home title fraud awareness event with the Merced County Recorder's Office and District Attorney's office, tabling at the Area Agency on Aging's Older Americans Recognition Day at the fairgrounds on May 6, and new “Tai Chi Tuesdays” classes (10:30–11:30 a.m., taught by award-winning practitioner Judy McLaren) for residents 50 and older.
• Gloria (Community Commons Collaborative applicant): Expressed disappointment with the review process, calling it unfair and saying grassroots applicants were not given enough credit for their versatility. She said the top-ranked applicant was “the richest in its resources,” and voiced concern that Merced College would receive a rent-free, taxpayer-funded facility while its College for Kids program was not affordable for many families. She asked the commission to reconsider.
• Joe Serena (Dean of Allied Health and Public Safety, Merced College): Expressed strong support for placing Merced College in South Merced, citing free tuition for first-time, full-time students, free enrollment for K-12 students, a $200,000 Merced City Schools scholarship program for College for Kids, free bus passes for students, a roughly 400-bed housing partnership with UC Merced, and basic needs services (one snack and one drink per day; more than 8,000 student visits per month to the basic needs center).
• Eli Sachs (Community Commons Collaborative applicant): Expressed disappointment on behalf of her group, saying the process was initially described as selecting three organizations to present to City Council, and that there was an absence of community input. She objected to the characterization of the seven partner organizations as “not actively established,” noting the American Red Cross was founded in 1881 and had confirmed the prior week that it would serve as the lead agency. She stated that “the organization with the biggest resources seems to have won,” and said the group still needs a space for community work, including free naloxone distribution. She also shared a personal concern about LGBTQ safety at Merced College.
• Jesse Ornales (Youth Leadership Institute applicant): Described the organization's record, including over 1,100 young people served at the Healing Generation Center since October 2024, nearly $900,000 in annual funding, and programs in youth media, civic engagement, character development (Moving Forward, funded for seven years), and family support (Cactus Flower). He argued YLI would be a better steward of the center because of its close community ties, explained that children 12 and under were intentionally excluded because they are already served by other organizations, noted Merced College already has South Merced facility access through school district joint-use agreements, and offered to partner with the other applicants.
• Mark Henry (Dr. Jennifer M. Jones Foundation applicant): Described the foundation as a Merced-based grassroots organization that fed more than 500 families through its “Everybody Eats” program during Thanksgiving and Christmas, and urged applicants to keep building bridges with one another regardless of the outcome.

Discussion Items

• Stephen Leonard Youth Center lease recommendation (Item F.1, 26-265): Parks and Community Services Director Christopher Jensen presented the subcommittee's process. The Stephen Leonard Youth Center suffered significant fire damage in 2022 and required heavy renovation and code upgrades. An RFI released in January 2026, open just under one month, drew seven proposals; one did not meet minimum qualifications, leaving six reviewed applicants. A February 23 public meeting lacked quorum; a special March 3 meeting formed a three-commissioner subcommittee, which met March 19 (one subcommittee seat was filled by Commissioner Lewis after another commissioner had a conflict). The committee ranked applicants on community impact and alignment, program strength and clarity, experience and ability to deliver, financial and operational stability, and facility activation and fit:
  • 1. Merced Community College — teen and adult education, workforce development, family supports, and College for Kids; strengths included vision, financial sustainability, organizational experience, capacity to activate the park, and elementary-age programming; a concern was raised about financial barriers to participation.
  • 2. Youth Leadership Institute — teen healing, navigation, linkages, and civic engagement; strengths included existing relationships with teens; a concern was the limited focus on teen and transitional-age youth.
  • 3. Dr. Jennifer Jones Foundation — tutoring, housing stability, mentorship, and career readiness; strengths included insight on housing instability; concerns included funding sources and the five-year commitment.
  • 4. Community Commons Collaborative — a hub of seven organizations offering multilingual programs, arts and crafts, safety education, sobriety support, legal assistance, and opioid education; strengths included resident focus and multilingual reach; concerns included the lack of an established operating history and diffused accountability.
  • 5. Applicant focused on older teens — existing South Merced programming and good-neighbor practices were strengths; the concern was the age limitation.
  • 6. Cal Lynx — after-school community hub and monthly family nights; strengths included understanding of school and neighborhood conditions (citing California Healthy Kids Survey data); concern was the limited scope of youth served.
  • The subcommittee recommended Merced Community College be awarded a five-year lease with an option to extend five additional years, with Youth Leadership Institute and Dr. Jennifer Jones Foundation as alternates for City Council consideration, expected later in April.
  • Commission deliberation: Several commissioners noted the difficulty of the decision. One commissioner who had not attended the subcommittee meeting asked for more time and detail. Staff confirmed the RFI process is closed and any presentations must be limited to content in the submitted proposals; staff also said legal counsel would need to review a proposal to form a new subcommittee with different members. The commission agreed to continue the item to the April meeting with applicant presentations.
• Parks and Community Services Department Updates (Report G.1, 26-270): Director Jensen reported that two staff attended California Park and Recreation Society (CPRS) training, and the city manager's proposed budget includes a commissioner attending next year. New Recreation Supervisor Jerome Osborne (22 years of experience; master's degree in recreation administration) will start the following Monday. Capital project highlights:
  • Joe Herb Sports Park: A $1.1 million project funded by about $250,000 from the local park reserve and approximately $800,000 in HUD Community Development Block Grant funds will add walking trails, pathway lighting, and renovated restrooms; construction is roughly six to nine months out. A new field-maintenance machine was credited for the first Merced Youth Softball league games at the park in six to ten years.
  • Kittyland Train: The city awarded just under $500,000 to Kiwanis of Greater Merced, which replaced the gasoline-powered train with an electric model on a new concrete track. Final inspections and punch-list work remain; reopening is expected in about one to one and a half months.
  • Merced Regional Sports Complex: CP42 South is about 90 percent complete and expected to open this summer, with hydro-seeding in April. The city, Merced Union High School District, and Merced County are developing a joint powers authority to manage the expanded site. An indoor facility plan was deferred in favor of a larger future development, with the area converted to parking.
  • Merced Applegate Zoo: Since January, crews have installed new ADA walking paths with curb, gutter, and drainage improvements, and are building a new American Black Bear exhibit about 2.5 times the current space, with a waterfall, pool, climbing cliffs, and dens about three times larger.
  • General Vang Pau Park: Phase 1 (the Aletha June playground and memorial with all-inclusive rubber surfacing) is out to bid, with construction start within about a month and completion targeted for September. Three other Bellevue Ranch neighborhood parks (Lester Yoshida, Charles Ogletree, and M Circle) have no funding allocated.
  • McNamara Park turf: The turf field, installed 10–12 years ago for just over $1 million, needs replacement estimated at $1–1.5 million, with zero dollars currently allocated; the director called it a growing safety concern. A volunteer effort with Lowe's, All Beyond Soccer Club, and Merced Regional Waste Management spread 2.5–3 tons of compost and seed on the grass field; a larger similar application is pending for Nanini Sports Complex, and the department applied for a new master plan for McNamara Park.
  • Youth basketball: About 380 youth participated each week, with free participation for all Merced City School District K–6 students and an $8,000 annual allocation for income-qualified families. Staff introduced colored wristbands to teach kindergarteners man-to-man defense, described as a success.
  • Wonderworks Field Lab: A new partnership with the Merced County Office of Education provides STEM programming at the zoo; the first cohort, from Weaver School District (Pioneer), completed the program, with the mayor judging student exhibit designs.
  • Bob Hart Square: A ribbon-cutting concert is preliminarily scheduled for Thursday, April 16, at 7:30 p.m., featuring local artist Zoe Ray.

Key Outcomes

• The commission voted 4–1 (motion by Commissioner Lewis, seconded by Commissioner Gonzalez) to continue the Stephen Leonard Youth Center lease decision to the next meeting on Monday, April 27, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. and to invite each of the six qualified applicant organizations to present their proposals at that meeting. Presentations must stay within the scope of the submitted proposals; the RFI period remains closed.
• The subcommittee's recommendation (Merced Community College, five-year lease with a five-year option) was not approved and will be reconsidered after the presentations; the commission is expected to make a formal recommendation at the April 27 meeting.
• Staff will contact applicants about presentation logistics.
• No requests to add items to a future agenda were made, and commissioners had no closing comments.
• The meeting adjourned on a motion by Commissioner Lewis, seconded by Commissioner Holloway.