Local Park Brings Heart to City

GRAND TERRACE >> It has hosted humans, dogs, minions and Maleficent. Its grass has been trampled underfoot by sports teams of all ages, and once a year, it even gets a little bit spooky. Do you know what it is? The answer, of course, is Richard Rollins Community Park. Richard Rollins Community Park, located at 22745 De Berry Street in Grand Terrace, has made a jogging path, hangout place and playing field for the residents of Grand Terrace since 1997. Richard Rollins was a well-known resident of Grand Terrace, integral in forming the first Parks and Recreation committee in 1978 and even campaigning door-to-door to keep Grand Terrace its own city, rather than being annexed to Colton. Rollins was also instrumental in the development of the land across the street from his house, fighting to keep it away from housing developers and working toward turning it into a park. He was successful in his endeavors, and soon, the land became Terrace Hills Community Park. Though Rollins did not start officially working for the city until the early 1990s, he became the unofficial “caretaker” of the park through cleaning and picking up trash regularly. When he did get hired on a part-time basis, he was responsible for opening and closing the park seven days a week, which he did until the day of his death. In 1997, Terrace Hills Community Park was renamed Richard Rollins Community Park in his honor. Since its renaming, the park has become host to several of Grand Terrace’s favorite annual events, including Movies in the Park, the Halloween Festival and Community Day. The Foundation of Grand Terrace most recently held its 34th Annual Community Day celebration in early June, inviting vendors, entertainment guests and residents of all ages to enjoy being together and learning more about the city underneath the summer sun. The theme this year was “Ready, Set, Safe!” which Sally McGuire, chairperson of the events and Healthy GT committees for the Foundation, described as aiming to connect with the community and communicate plans in case a disaster should ever occur. "Our goal this year is to try to get the city, the residents, the businesses, the churches, faith-based communities—everybody together because everybody has some kind of plan in the event of a disaster, but nobody knows what it is," McGuire said in a previous article with City News Group. "Only those people know what it is.” Last year’s theme was the health initiative “Let’s Get Moving!” and like this year, partnered with Healthy GT, which is sponsored by the Foundation, to provide more resources for the members of Grand Terrace. The previous year, it was “Health and Fitness.” Like with all city-owned parks, Richard Rollins Community Park does not come free. Over the last few years, funding for upkeep and upgrades to maintain and expand the park system has decreased. In September 2015, Grand Terrace city manager G. Harold Duffey discovered Quimby fees, allocated by the Quimby Act that the city had passed years before. The Quimby Act reads that developers have to pay for or donate open space and parkland in order to maintain a certain amount of space and parkland per 1,000 residents. “These fees are a great way for our city to maintain the quality of life for its residents,” Duffey said in a previous article with City News Group. The city council officially approved $150,000 of Quimby funds, of which the city currently has $303,000 that can be assessed, as of September. Of that amount approved, $40,000 is being used to address environmental and regulatory issues at Richard Rollins Community and Pico parks. “We’re ready to hit the ground running in assisting these different agencies on accomplishing their long range goals for making Grand Terrace a better place to live,” Duffey previously said. Next time you are looking for a place to walk your dog, or to hold a barbecue, or to play a pickup game of soccer, consider visiting Richard Rollins Community Park.