A lively ribbon-cutting ceremony filled the morning air Saturday at Callaghan Park in Watsonville. More than 160 people showed up for the upbeat ceremony where city officials, sports enthusiasts and community members celebrated the opening of six new pickleball courts—Watsonville’s first—and two revamped basketball courts at the popular neighborhood park at 225 Sudden St.
Nick Calubaquib, deputy city manager and Park and Community Services director, welcomed the crowd and underscored that the park is among the most popular parks in the city, with more than 62,000 visits this year.
“Access to close-to-home parks is crucial to a community’s quality of life and is essential to personal and community well being and mental health—for fresh air, exercise, meditation and a sense of peace and community,” he said. “You only need to compare Watsonville’s 143 acres of parkland to the city of Santa Cruz with 1,700 acres of parkland to realize that residents in Watsonville have an extremely disproportionate access to parks, playgrounds and open spaces.
“And it’s really because of these disparities that it’s crucial—and my last mission—to ensure that the park space that we do have in Watsonville is quality and meets the needs of our community. Because access to quality parks and sports courts shouldn’t be a privilege to some but really a right for all.”
Funding for the job stemmed from Measures R and Y.
When asked about how she felt about the new pickleball courts, Nancy Zeiszler, a former physical educator, said, “I love them. What it does is bring a sense of community to this area for all ages and all abilities. We usually meet two to three times a week and we see the same people and it’s engaging both mentally and physically and we’re going to live longer because of it.
“I’ve been playing the sport since retirement, eight years ago.”
Callaghan Park played a huge role following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake when it doubled as “tent city,” temporary living quarters for dozens of families whose homes were damaged by the 7.1 magnitude shaker.
Pickleball enthusiast Krissa Baylor said, “I’m so excited and so thankful to the mayor and the director of Park and Rec and our pickleball crew to see this to completion. I’ve been playing for eight years; these courts are beautiful. Everyone can use them and the lovely park for the children, the extra basketball courts, the restrooms and the cultural center: It’s the perfect location.”
