Planned Standard Youth Sports Park Reaches Milestones

Standard, CA — A needed conditional use permit to allow construction has been acquired, and a name has been picked, for a planned youth sports park in Standard.

We reported earlier that the Youth Sports Foundation of Tuolumne County received $1.5-million from the Sonora Area Foundation to make the project a reality. As a thank you, YSF is officially naming it “Foundation Sports Park.”

Sonora Area Foundation CEO Darrell Slocum responds, “Our Board of Directors was overwhelmingly in favor of the proposed project. Specifically mentioned was the importance our founder, Irving J. Symons, placed on youth sports and recreation.”

The money from SAF allowed YSF to match community donations, including a $500,000 gift from Chicken Ranch Rancheria.

Also, last week YSF acquired the needed conditional use permit required to build and operate the park. YSF Board President Brandon Meyer relays that the foundation is thankful for the many months of persistent effort by the Tuolumne County Community Development Department staff.

YSF had been hoping for a 2022 groundbreaking, but it will instead happen in 2023. In the coming weeks, the foundation plans to unveil more details and designs. The group earlier stated it will include a variety of aspects, like sports fields, courts, and an open-air pavilion.

The project will be built on approximately seven acres of land on Tuolumne Road, immediately west of Standard Park.

Founded in 1999, YSF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve the life of Tuolumne County residents through the improvement and enhancement of youth play spaces, facilities, and sports fields.

The YSF board of directors includes President Brandon Meyer, Secretary James Evans, and members Joe Pluim, Brian Wahlbrink, Zac Garman, Michelle McCormick, Jamie Roberson, and Jesse Oliva.