City Sets Tentative Opening Date of May 30 for Sports Park

City officials are waiting for the newly planted turf to take root before the Audie Murphy Ranch Sports Park will open to the public.

Menifee city officials have set a tentative date of May 30 for the opening of the Audie Murphy Ranch Sports Park, an 11-acre sports park that will be open to all members of the public.

There has been some confusion among residents about the accessibility and opening date of the park, which includes a skate park, baseball field, soccer field, basketball courts and a playground.

First, city officials want to make it clear that the sports park will be open to everyone, not just residents of the Audie Murphy Ranch community, located on Newport Road west of Murrieta Road. The park was built by Brookfield Homes, developer of the planned community, but Brookfield will soon turn over control of the park to the city for use by the general public.

Second, the city will not open any part of the park until the entire facility is ready. So although fans of the skate park have told Menifee 24/7 they are hoping to gain access to the park early, it appears no part of the park will be open until the end of May.

"We have been meeting regularly with the developer (Brookside Residential) to determine the readiness of the park and review outstanding punch list items," said Robert Lennox, the city's new community services director. "Currently there are pending items on the list that need to be corrected prior to the City assuming responsibility for the Park and opening it to the public.

"Most importantly, the athletic field turf has not yet fully matured and will require two more months to take root and become sustainable for athletic play. As such, we are targeting a park opening date of May 30, pending field turf conditions. We would like to open the entire facility at one time for various reasons."

The skate park features two large bowls and several other features.