TeWinkle's Lower Lake Is Set to Refill, and Costa Mesa's Westside Parks Are Changing Too

What does $2.5 million buy at a park Costa Mesa already owns? This year the city answered that question twice. At TeWinkle Park, the money went into two lakes that had been losing water into the ground for years. At the corner of Victoria and Maple streets, the same amount rebuilt Ketchum-Libolt Park and widened it into the parkway beside it.

Both projects worked within parks the city already had. A mile from Ketchum-Libolt, Shalimar Park is following the same pattern. Costa Mesa's park improvements this fall come from repairing what is there and taking in the ground next door. The clearest example sits at the bottom of TeWinkle's lower lake, where a new liner is now in place.

A Lake That Lost a Million Gallons a Year

TeWinkle Park was dedicated in 1965 and is named for Charles TeWinkle, Costa Mesa's first mayor. Its 49 acres hold an open-air amphitheater, open recreation space and the two lakes that most visitors think of first, according to the Orange County Register.

The lakes were partly renovated in 2004. In recent years they leaked about a million gallons of water a year, which officials put at roughly $100,000 a year in cost to the city, the Register reported. The leaks also eroded the lakebed and the soil around it.

Set those figures side by side and the case for the renovation is plain. The $2.5 million project is paid for with $2 million from a state grant and $500,000 from the city's capital improvement fund, and the old lakes were costing about $100,000 a year in lost water. The work also rebuilds the 3,250-foot shoreline with natural edges and is meant to give the resident turtles, fish and other aquatic wildlife a healthier place to live.

Where the Ducks Spent the Summer

The city did the lakes one at a time, so one body of water stayed open while crews worked on the other. Construction started Sept. 29, 2025, and the city's TeWinkle Park Lakes project page says some areas of the lakes are temporarily closed during construction. The work has gone in this order:

1. Upper lake rebuilt. Crews graded the lakebed, repaired the eroded shoreline, and installed a new liner and concrete embankments. The city announced the upper lake finished in a June 23 update.
2. Wildlife moved uphill. Once the lower lake was drained, the animals living there went to the partly filled upper lake. Register photos from June 24 show ducks and a red-eared slider turtle along its shore.
3. Lower lake liner and shoreline done. By the city's Nov. 3 update, the lower lake's liner was in and the concrete abutments along its shoreline had been poured.
4. Planting and refilling. The last steps are planting aquatic vegetation and refilling the lower lake, which the city has scheduled for mid-to-late November.

The original goal was to finish in summer 2026, so the project is running past that date. When the work is done, the city says both the upper and lower lakes will be open again to the whole public.

At Victoria and Maple, the Park Grew Into the Parkway

TeWinkle got its upgrade by fixing what was underground. Ketchum-Libolt got bigger. The park at 2150 Maple Street reopened Oct. 12 after a $2.5 million renovation. By expanding into the adjacent parkway, it now covers about 24,000 square feet, the Orange County Register reported.

The park is named for Costa Mesa police officers James "Dave" Ketchum and John "Mike" Libolt, who died in an on-duty helicopter crash in 1987. The new play equipment carries that history. The Daily Pilot reported that it is public-safety themed and was chosen through outreach meetings with neighbors and community stakeholders. The city lists these features in the rebuilt park:

• Playground equipment with helicopter and public-safety themes, set on rubber safety surfacing
• Shade and picnic shelters with picnic tables
• Concrete and paver paths
• Upgraded lighting, landscaping and irrigation
• Commemorative mosaics and markers

The Register also describes a lawn area and poetry from community members stamped into the concrete. Of the $2.5 million cost, $1.2 million came from a state budget earmark that Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris secured in 2022. Mayor John Stephens summed up the project at the opening, as quoted in the Daily Pilot:

"This project has been a labor of love from day one. Our city team did a great job in creating a park that the community will be proud of while at the same time keeping the legacy of these brave police officers alive."

Shalimar's Extra Ground Came From the Lot Next Door

About a mile from Ketchum-Libolt, the city got more space at Shalimar Park by buying the neighboring property. In 2025 the city paid $1.725 million for a fourplex at 778 Shalimar Drive, then demolished it to add 0.16 acre to the half-acre park, the Daily Pilot reported.

The park itself broke ground in late May and is being rebuilt around a sports theme with a mini-pitch soccer area. The city's Shalimar Park project page also lists playground equipment, swings, a multi-use court, LED lighting, and new landscaping and irrigation. The $2.3 million project is funded with $1 million in state money secured by then-Sen. Dave Min and about $1.3 million from the city. The Daily Pilot's Oct. 15 report expected the park to reopen in early 2027.

Residents had two options for the added lot. One was a multi-use sports court with outdoor fitness equipment and open space. The other was a 2,100-square-foot community center with gathering space, a kitchen, an office and storage. At its Oct. 6 meeting, the City Council approved a concept design for the community center.

That building is a separate, later project. It is estimated at about $2 million and has no budget yet. The city plans to use about $500,000 in leftover park-improvement money to start design work and add shade sails and seating, and the center will not be ready when the park reopens. When Shalimar reopens, expect the park first and the community center later.

The 2022 Money, Project by Project

All three projects can be traced to state funding announced in 2022. That year, then-Sen. Dave Min's $10 million allocation was set aside for Fairview Park restoration, LED lighting at TeWinkle Park and Jack Hammett Sports Complex, and improvements at Shalimar Park, the Daily Pilot reported. Ketchum-Libolt's $1.2 million came separately through Petrie-Norris. Here is where each one stood as of the city's Nov. 3 update:

Fairview Park is the furthest from finished, and it follows the same approach as the others. The work restores bluffs and habitat the city already owns. In April 2026, the City Council gave Psomas a two-year, $533,189 contract for design, environmental planning and cultural-resource management on the west bluffs. The overall project is estimated at about $2 million, with about $1.6 million of that for construction and landscaping, according to the Daily Pilot. The Fairview Park Master Plan update is also in environmental review. Its document was recirculated because of a proposed move of the radio-controlled aircraft field, with public comment open July 29 through Aug. 28, 2026.

Next up is TeWinkle's lower lake, with refilling scheduled for mid-to-late November and both lakes open to the public again once the work is complete.

If you own a home near TeWinkle, Ketchum-Libolt or Shalimar and have wondered how a rebuilt park figures into its value, Aballi Group can walk you through it using real comparisons from your own street. We keep our client list small on purpose, so you'll be talking with an advisor who knows these blocks by name. Start with a free home valuation.