Resident urges commission to preserve Dolores Park and Malakeus Montoya Center amid city budget concerns

At the start of the May 6 meeting, Vacaville resident Joan Marquan Wilsley addressed the commission during business from the floor, urging elected officials and staff to protect two park projects — Dolores Park and the Malakeus Montoya Center — that the city has studied and partially funded.

In her statement Wilsley said she understood the city’s long‑term financial concerns but cautioned that extensive planning, staff time and community investment have already gone into the projects. “I implore the commissioners and Park and Recreation Department staff to carefully consider the importance of the projects to the city and specifically to the planned location in the city,” she said. Wilsley said she believed funding had been secured through a mix of city funds, grants and federal sources and asked the commission to resist treating parks as expendable when budgets tighten.

Staff response and next steps: The commission did not take immediate action on the request during the meeting. Director Moulder later told the commission the Dolores Park and Malakeus Montoya Center project is currently funded in part by a Section 108 federal grant that the city is still awaiting; staff said they will return to city council with an informational update when the grant status is confirmed and any council direction is available.

What to watch: If the Section 108 funding is delayed or reduced, staff suggested the city would revisit priorities. The commission and the public will have future opportunities to weigh in if and when the council schedules further deliberations on project scope or funding.