Школа Лоди передала парк Паркин округу Сан-Хоакин для модернизации

Lodi Unified School District has voted to transfer ownership of Parkin Memorial Park to San Joaquin County, allowing for future improvements and maintenance by the county Parks and Recreation Department. The transfer resolves a longstanding issue that had delayed plans for a new playground at the park, with Norm Parkin pledging $10,000 in funds towards the project. The park, created in memory of the Parkin family who were tragically murdered in 1973, will now be incorporated into the county's Parks and Recreation operations plan to ensure it remains well-maintained and accessible to the community. Sep. 5—A long-awaited step toward improving Parkin Memorial Park is now complete. The Lodi Unified School District voted 6-0 Tuesday night to transfer ownership of the park to San Joaquin County, clearing the way for the county Parks and Recreation Department to take over operations, maintenance and future improvements. District 4 Supervisor Steve Ding said the transfer provides an opportunity to "breathe new life into the park," which sits next to Victor Elementary School on Bruella Road. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Our community has waited patiently for a neighborhood place to take their kids to play and families to gather," Ding said. The transfer resolves an issue that had stalled plans for a new playground at the park for several years. In 2023, Ding pledged $10,000 in discretionary District 4 funds toward the playground project, bringing the total raised at the time to $49,000 toward a $75,000 goal established by Norm Parkin, whose brother Wally, sister-in-law Joanne and their two children Lisa and Bobby were murdered in 1973. "I think it's a good move for the county to take over the park," Norm Parkin said. "It should help ensure it stays well-maintained for everyone in the Victor and surrounding area. We are also going to get our playground that we promised people over three years ago." Advertisement Advertisement The project had been complicated by the district's decision to gate off the Victor Elementary playground, which had long been available to children using the park. With the ownership transfer complete, the county will incorporate Parkin Memorial Park into its existing Parks and Recreation operations plan and oversee upgrades to the property. The playground project is intended to honor Wally, Joanne, Lisa and Bobby Parkin, who were murdered in their Victor home by Lodi native William Steelman and Doug Gretzler of New York in the early morning hours of Nov. 7, 1973. Their neighbors Richard, Wanda, Debbie and Ricky Earl were also murdered, along with Debbie's boyfriend Marc Lang. Advertisement Advertisement Steelman and Gretzler were arrested later that week in Sacramento, ending a three week crime spree that started in Arizona and left 17 people dead. The park was later created in the Parkins' memory, with construction taking place between 1977 and 1982. For years, the park has served as a neighborhood gathering place, but the loss of access to the school playground left families with fewer recreational options. Now, county officials say the transfer provides a path forward. Board member Sue Macfarlane was absent from Tuesday's meeting.