‘It’s like a gateway’ — Costa Mesa relaunches mobile recreation program

On a sun-soaked Monday afternoon in Costa Mesa’s Shalimar neighborhood, a young boy approached Christian Hernandez.

“What’s up, man?” the city assistant recreation supervisor asked the youngster. “What’re you looking for?”

“A hockey stick,” the boy replied, somewhat sheepishly.

Hernandez didn’t hesitate. “Oh, we’ve got that.”

Reaching into the back of a nearby van, he fished out the requested equipment and handed it to the boy, who promptly ran off to join a nearby game.

So it goes during Costa Mesa’s mobile recreation program, a playground on wheels that furnishes sports equipment, arts and crafts supplies, books and other materials to children around the city.

The free program — cut amid budget difficulties in 2009 — made its official return Monday.

Laughs and excited shouts rang out regularly near Shalimar Park as dozens of kids faced off in street hockey, kicked around a soccer ball, channeled their inner Robin Hood with a toy archery set and rolled the dice in board games like Monopoly.

City staff members on hand to run the program seemed to be equally enthusiastic.

“Our staff is super excited — they’re stoked,” Hernandez said with a smile. “They’ve been planning for so long — now that it’s actually happening, it’s definitely a great feeling.”

Work to get the program rolling again began in earnest after a City Council vote in January. A major financial assist came from the Los Angeles Chargers NFL team, which donated $50,000 to the cause.

The entire program can be run out of one vehicle — a splashily designed van rigged with shelves and cubbies packed with books, games, sports equipment and arts and crafts materials.

Even so, more than enough room is left over for tables, chairs and barriers to help control traffic.

A major focus of the program, Hernandez said, is “catering to the community, reaching out to different neighborhoods that are maybe underserved.”

“I think that’s a big, big component to this: It’s free,” he said. “We go to you; we find you and we provide some fun.”

The program also builds relationships between participants and city staff members who can provide coaching and mentorship and teach important skills, said Susan Davidson, recreation specialist with the city.

“It’s like a gateway,” she said Monday. “It opens the door for youth to be involved in other activities. It helps keep them out of trouble.”

Another emphasis is homework assistance. The mobile recreation van contains school supplies and will serve as a roving library where kids can borrow books, according to Hernandez.

As it stands now, the city plans to operate the program from about 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

The van will be stationed in Shalimar on Mondays and Fridays, at Ketchum-Libolt Park on Wednesdays and on 18th Street by Lions Park on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Hernandez said the vehicle also will appear at special city events and could make other stops, depending on public demand.

For more information or to suggest a location for the van to visit, contact Hernandez at [email protected] or (714) 754-5302.

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