Fountain Valley officially marks opening of Moiola Park

Four months after Fountain Valley had planned to celebrate the opening of its 20th park, the city finally commemorated the achievement with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday.

Warm weather and a cloudless sky, the ideal conditions for a day outdoors, greeted those on hand to mark the opening of Moiola Park, which is located at 9790 Finch Ave. The ceremony, originally scheduled for March, had been delayed due to frequent rain earlier in the year.

The 1.12-acre park was built on the site of the former Fred Moiola Elementary, a school that served students from kindergarten through eighth grade but was shuttered in 2012.

Sandra Crandall, a Fountain Valley School District board member, said the district began as one that offered K-8 education, but a movement in the late 1990s pushed the district to establish middle schools. Some residents wished to preserve the K-8 configuration, and Moiola was the last of those schools, she said.

Community members and local officials participate in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Moiola Park in Fountain Valley on Saturday.

(Spencer Grant)

“What happened over the years with declining population was the K-8 school could not sustain itself,” said Crandall, who worked as a kindergarten teacher and a reading specialist in her time at the school. “We didn’t have a full math department there because the numbers weren’t there, of students. The bulk of the parents really wanted the middle school experiences, and they kind of voted with their feet, so they went to our K-5 schools, and then our three established middle schools.”

Since its closure, the 13-acre school site had passed into different hands a few times. LePort Montessori, a private education institution, leased the property. The land was later sold to Brookfield Residential, then to another developer, Lennar, which resulted in the development of the park along with 74 new single-family homes.

City officials said the developer will be responsible for maintenance of the park for the first 10 years of its existence, and then that responsibility will transfer to the city.

“This is Moiola Park,” Fountain Valley City Manager Maggie Le said. “It is open to the general public, and we’re very excited to be here to provide this service and allow the community to have access to this new park.”

3-year-old Teal Lam cautiously smacks a wiffle ball in Moiola Park.

(Spencer Grant)

Le’s remarks were followed by presentations from local officials in attendance, including state Sen. Janet Nguyen and representatives from the offices of Rep. Michelle Steel and Assemblyman Tri Ta.

Rudy Law, who played seven years of Major League Baseball with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago White Sox, was the star of the show. He played equal parts entertainer and educational advocate with the microphone in his hands.

“One of my greatest achievements besides baseball was earning the scholarship to go to San Jose State, because I didn’t like school at all when I was coming up as a kid,” Law said. “But I knew that I wanted to play baseball, so I was hitting the books. When it comes down to it, all you got to do is do your homework, concentrate, and you get smart.”

The former speedster, who set the White Sox single-season record with 77 stolen bases in 1983, signed baseballs for families in attendance after the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

With dad Matthew helping and Jacob Hurwitz, 7, looking on, 2-year-old Martin Langer smacks a wiffle ball over distance tapes in Moiola Park.

(Spencer Grant)

There were also baseball-related activities for the kids at the park. A tee had been set up with a bat and wiffle balls with which kids could play the over-the-line game.

Attendees who wore their sports jerseys could win prizes, and there was also a bounce house on site for the occasion.

In other park-related news, Ta presented a $1-million check to the Fountain Valley Community Foundation at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting. The funds are being contributed toward the universally accessible playground to be installed at the Fountain Valley Sports Park.

“We are so thrilled,” a gracious Mayor Kim Constantine said of the contribution to the city. “This is going to enhance our Sports Park tremendously. Everybody can play together and come together and be together. We’re so excited about this. We really are.”

Former Dodgers player Rudy Law autographs a baseball for 4-year-old Mike Hung.

(Spencer Grant)