The City of Folsom celebrated breaking ground on Prospector Park and the future Fire Station 34 in Folsom Ranch Thursday morning. The two projects are long awaited by residents in the community south of Highway 50z
Today’s celebration began at the future Prospector Park site at 4578 Sparrow Drive Folsom Ranch where more than 250 people gathered for the event.
Immediately following the park ceremony, the Folsom Fire Department hosted a community walk and ride from the park site over to the future Fire Station 34 site. Community members and city leaders walked and some road bikes that were decorated to celebrate the events over to the future fire station site where Fire Chief Ken Cusano lead a brief ceremony across the street from the future building Fire Station 34 at 3255 Westwood Drive, followed by meeting members of the community that stuck around to enjoy family-friendly activities, photo ops, and ice cream and popsicles.
The groundbreaking events marked significant milestone in the development of the planned community-focused recreational and emergency services facilities.
Prospector Park is the first of nine parks in the Folsom Plan Area, and Folsom Fire Station 34 is the first of two planned stations.
Prospector Park will span 12 acres and feature a multi-use sports field, a lighted ball field, sports courts, picnic areas, nature areas, and a dog park. The play area will include dueling zip lines, roller slide, and 20’ rope climber. The park’s design incorporates sustainable features to preserve the natural environment and encourage eco-friendly practices. Prospector Park is anticipated to be completed in summer 2024.
Future Fire Station 34,will be an important addition to Folsom’s emergency response infrastructure. As Folsom continues to grow, the station will help ensure the community’s safety by improving response times and expanding coverage. Equipped with modern facilities and advanced firefighting equipment, Fire Station 34 will enhance the city’s ability to protect residents and property.
The station will staff an Advanced Life Support Type 1 Engine and cross-staff a Type 3 Engine with three full-time firefighters daily. (See previous Folsom Times article)
Photos by Chris Shepard, COF