Fountain Valley plans to open Moiola Park on Saturday, July 15, a move that will come after several changes in land ownership and at least one rain delay.
The city already owns and operates 23 parks, which collectively account for more than 150 acres of green space. The best-known park in the city, 600-acre Mile Square Regional Park, is owned by the county. But if Mile Square is included as a park within the city’s boundaries, Fountain Valley has roughly 13.4 acres of park area for every 1,000 residents, well above the National Recreation and Park Association’s recommendation of 6.25 to 10.50 acres per 1,000 people.
“We like our greenspace here. We like our greenspace very much,” said Mayor Kim Constantine. “We’re very happy and fortunate, not only to have Mile Square Park, but to have a lot of other community parks. It’s so important.”
The 10:30 a.m. opening of Moiola, at 9790 Finch Ave, will feature free popcorn and other giveaways, as well as a bounce house and a kid’s over-the-line game. Former Dodger outfielder Rudy Law will be on hand to sign autographs and engage with the public.
The idea of having Law on hand at the park opening was part of the original plan to open Moiola in late March, just at the start of the Major League Baseball season. But Andrea Zepeda, the city’s recreation coordinator, said frequent rains during March prompted the city to put off the park’s grand opening, noting that the ground remained soggy during that period.
The 1.1-acre park occupies a sliver of the 13-acre parcel that once held Fred Moiola Elementary. The school was built in 1971 on undeveloped farmland and named after a former city council member who died in a plane crash in 1963. It served students from kindergarten to eighth grade until it was closed in June of 2012 to save school district money.
After Moiola Elementary closed, the school buildings were used by LePort Montessori, a private day care and elementary school that closed in 2018.
Three years later, Fountain Valley School District sold the unused property to Brookfield Residential, a real estate development company, to construct The Currents, a project that includes 74 single-family homes and the park.
The project changed hands again in 2022, when home builder Lennar bought it from Brookfield. Officials connected with both companies estimated the park’s construction cost at about $1.06 million for grading, landscaping and improvements, not including nearly $177,000 paid by Brookfield Residential to maintain the park for 10 years.
The city approved the housing and park project in March of 2021, and the school structures were demolished to make way for the development. The residential side of the project is open and homes are selling, with prices running from $1.8 million to about 2.3 million.
The park includes shaded picnic tables, barbecue grills and benches positioned under trees. It also includes a grass field for sports, games and leisure activities, and nature-themed play equipment.
“You want a little fresh air, you want to sit in the park, have a little picnic, walk your dog or your cat, it’s a nice experience,” Constantine said. “I think we’re very fortunate to have a new park and I think it’s a great idea to have included this park in this residential community.”
