At 9 a.m. on Friday, October 16, the Carmichael Recreation and Park District holds a ribbon cutting at Jan Park. The new features are a toddler swing with an enclosed seat, a misting stick, a drinking fountain that CRPD wants to fit with a bottle filler and a dog bowl, and wider accessible paths on the north side of the park. None of that is likely to make the evening news. This fall, though, this is mostly what a $31.9 million parks bond looks like on the ground in Carmichael.
The big, visible work at Carmichael Park wrapped up in the spring. The bond's construction crews have since moved to the smaller parks, the ones people walk to, not drive to. Carmichael Park's next phase is mostly parking lots and walkways, and it's still waiting on paperwork.
What Voters Approved in 2022
Measure G is a general-obligation bond. It isn't a sales tax. The authorization was $31.9 million, and the Sacramento Bee's 2022 voter guide put the repayment levy at an estimated $19 per $100,000 of taxable parcel value. It passed in November 2022. The Carmichael Times counted 11,168 yes votes out of 16,525, or nearly 68 percent.
The district has been clear about what the money can't pay for. Its Measure G projects page says:
Funds will be spent on deferred maintenance and new projects only. No bond money will fund CRPD staff positions. The bonds will be sold in series.
That last sentence explains the timing of everything below. The bonds are sold in series, so the work comes in rounds, and each park takes its turn. The district says the schedule can change, and this year it has.
Series I Went to Carmichael Park First
The first round included the district's namesake park, and the main construction there is done. Near the Veterans Memorial Building, Carmichael Park got a new playground structure on a rubberized surface. A new restroom went in near the tennis courts, and two tennis courts became six pickleball courts. CRPD marks those projects completed in April 2026. The last dated entry on the Phase I status page is from July 2026, when testing on the pickleball surface and the contractor's follow-up repairs were still going on.
Two other Series I sites finished even earlier. At Glancy Oaks Park, a new playground, an accessible paved entry at the southwest corner, ramps, drinking fountains, and a resurfaced basketball court were complete by January 2026. La Sierra Community Center's HVAC and roofing work, which included replacing 9,700 square feet of canopy roofing, was also done that month.
So by spring, the first round had covered the biggest park and two of the easier jobs. What was left for summer and fall were the jobs with more moving parts.
This Fall Belongs to the Smaller Parks
This is where each active project stood heading into mid-October, based on CRPD's own per-park timelines.
| Park | What's new | Status as of fall 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| O'Donnell Heritage Park | Accessible concrete loop path, restored butterfly garden and entrance, resurfaced basketball court | Completed August 14, 2026 |
| La Sierra Community Center field | New sod, irrigation, drainage, walking path, T-ball infields, bleachers | Opened at an August 21 ribbon cutting; CRPD called it complete in September |
| Jan Park | Enclosed toddler swing, misting stick, drinking fountain, accessible paths | Ribbon cutting Friday, October 16, 9 a.m. |
| Cardinal Oaks Park | New playground, pedestrian lighting, south-end parking lot | Closed; completion estimated "late fall 2026" |
O'Donnell Heritage Park changed the most. The Carmichael Times described the result as concrete walkways, a revamped basketball court, picnic tables, shade canopies, playground additions, and a replanted butterfly garden. CRPD names Lister Construction as the contractor.
The La Sierra field was built by Olympic Land Construction and includes perimeter fencing and gates along with the new turf. According to the La Sierra project page, in August permitted users could book the field, but it wasn't yet open for general public use. In September, CRPD reported the project complete, with the contractor still making adjustments and repairs during the maintenance period. A second La Sierra phase, which covers accessible parking-lot paving, was still in design. Final construction plans were due to the district in September.
Why the Dates Kept Moving
Compare the original schedules with the current ones and the same pattern shows up twice.
Jan Park was scheduled for construction from the end of April 2026 through June. The concrete was poured in June, and then the contractor, Parker Landscape Development, left the site. CRPD's timeline says the crew would come back "after all long-lead equipment is received." The crew returned in late August, the estimate moved to the end of September, then to the end of October, and the ribbon cutting is now set for October 16.
Cardinal Oaks followed the same path at a larger scale. The district's index still shows its construction window as May to September 2026. The park's own page now gives "Late Fall 2026." Construction began May 11. CRPD told visitors to expect a full closure starting May 28, and the target for finishing was the end of October. The August entry has the detail that matters for the timing. Xeela Engineering's crew had the playground installer on site, but the new light poles weren't expected until late October. The September update reported playground installation underway, with concrete for the parking lot and walkways targeted for mid-September and the poured rubber surfacing for the end of the month.
Concrete crews can work to a calendar. Specialty playground parts and light poles show up when the manufacturer ships them. At both parks, the final weeks of the schedule have been set by when long-lead equipment arrives.
Cardinal Oaks is also getting something the other small parks aren't: a new parking lot at its south end, the side that borders El Camino Avenue. In August, a CRPD representative described that lot as coming "off El Camino Avenue," according to the Carmichael Times.
Carmichael Park's Next Round Is Asphalt
With Phase I construction done, Carmichael Park's Series II scope is listed as accessibility and safety improvements to paving, plus demolition and grading. That covers parking lots, drive aisles, and walkways. As of September 2026, the plans were still under County review. A CRPD phasing graphic splits the asphalt work into three phases labeled Fall 2026, Spring 2027, and Summer 2027. The page doesn't give firm construction dates.
That's the busiest event site in the district getting its lots repaved in stages, likely across three seasons. The Carmichael Farmers Market runs at Carmichael Park on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. No closure dates for that work have been posted.
The Carmichael Times reported that a CRPD representative told an August 20 community roundtable that Carmichael Park would most likely get upgrades next summer, including a basketball court and accessibility improvements. The district's Phase II page doesn't list a basketball court yet. For now, the court is a plan someone has talked about, not a confirmed project.
Further out, Series III adds ADA improvements at the Veterans Memorial Hall.
The Parks Still Waiting Their Turn
Series III is the last round listed, and so far it's only a list of planned work. CRPD hasn't posted timelines for any of these parks yet:
- Bird Track Park: demolition of the existing play area, a new playground with rubberized surface, and accessibility upgrades
- Del Campo Park: soccer-field turf repair, two parking lots repaved, a new restroom serving the soccer field, and a creek bridge
- Patriots Park: a new playground and rubberized surface, safer walkways, pedestrian security lighting, and new site furnishings
- Sutter-Jensen Community Park: decomposed granite on the community garden paths and accessible parking-lot work
- La Sierra Community Center: further HVAC upgrades and accessibility work
If one of these is your neighborhood park, the Jan Park and Cardinal Oaks timelines give a rough idea of how it will go. Both started with a request for proposals in winter, went through advisory board approval and a contract, broke ground in spring, and are wrapping up in fall, with equipment deliveries setting the last few weeks. CRPD posts monthly updates on each park's page once a project is active.
On the October Calendar
The rest of this month at the parks covered above, plus one stop along the river:
- Friday, October 16, 9 a.m.: Jan Park ribbon cutting.
- Saturday, October 17, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Barktoberfest at Carmichael Park, with pet activities, vendors, a pumpkin patch, pet adoptions, a costume contest, and food trucks.
- Sundays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Carmichael Farmers Market at Carmichael Park.
- Sunday, October 25, 6 p.m.: Creatures of the Night at Effie Yeaw Nature Center, which is also running Nature of Reading on October 17 at 10 a.m.
Cardinal Oaks isn't on this list because it's still closed. CRPD's current estimate is late fall, and the light poles were due in late October.
Public projects like these affect daily life on the blocks around them: where people park, which paths are open, how long a playground stays fenced off. If you're thinking about how Carmichael's park work fits into a move, or just want to know what's changing near a particular street, Rich Gibbens follows these timelines and is glad to go over them with you. Let's Connect.
