Glen Park's Fall Evenings Arrive Ahead of Its Playground

From the main parking lot, the path through Glen Park runs past the restrooms and the Scout House, down to the Picnic Pavilion, and on to the playground. In its project description, the City of Encinitas splits that route into separate pieces of work. It also points out a patch of grass north of the pavilion that stays wet, fed by runoff coming into the park's northeast corner from Newcastle Avenue.

In January, the City Council paid for the upper part of that route. This October, two evening events will bring people into the whole park in a single week. Funding for the lower part, meaning the last walkway, the playground at the end of it, and the drain for that wet grass, has not been settled.

Two evenings, four days apart

On Tuesday, October 20, Cardiff 101 Main Street holds Music in Glen Park. The organizer calls it a "brand-new community gathering." Jesse Ray Smith plays, local artisans and makers sell their work, and the evening wraps up at sunset. The event page's header shows 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., but the description says 4:30 p.m. to sunset. The longer window is the one the organizer is promoting.

For food, Cardiff 101 asks people to order a picnic dinner for takeout or delivery from downtown Cardiff restaurants, and it names Besta Wan, Seaside Market, Best Pizza & Brew and Trattoria Positano. All four are a short walk from the park:

Bump Coffee at 126 Aberdeen Dr. is open daily from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., so it closes well before the music starts. It does fit an earlier stop the same day.

Four days later, on Saturday, October 24, the City's Movies in the Park series shows Monster House at Glen Park. The film starts at dusk, and the City hasn't posted an exact clock time. This is the City's only fall screening listed for 2026. Glen Park is the series' regular location for both its spring and fall seasons.

Both events are evening events built around blankets on the grass, so they use the parts of the park that the City has spent the past year deciding whether to fix.

What the January contract paid for

On January 28, 2026, the City Council awarded the Glen Park ADA Improvements Project to Palm Engineering Construction Company. The contract is $339,013, with a 15% contingency of $50,852 on top, for a not-to-exceed total of $389,865.

That figure covers less than the project as first designed. Because of budget limits, the City put the work out to bid as a required Base Bid plus four optional add-ons, called additive alternates. How many of the add-ons got built would depend on what the bids came back at. Here is how the route through the park was split:

1. Base Bid, $243,538. Upgrades the three existing accessible parking stalls and rebuilds the walkway from the main lot to the restrooms. Awarded.
2. Alternate 1, $95,475. A new walkway from the restrooms, past the Scout House, down to the Picnic Pavilion. Awarded.
3. Alternate 2. Rebuilds the walkway from the Picnic Pavilion to the playground. Not in the award.
4. Alternate 3. A French drain along the new pavilion walkway to catch runoff from Newcastle Avenue that keeps the grass north of the pavilion wet. Not in the award.
5. Alternate 4. Slurry seal and restriping for the main parking lot. Not in the award.

The staff report estimated the full construction phase at $477,865, including $88,000 for construction management and inspection. To cover it, staff proposed a $160,549 budget amendment funded by moving money from two other ADA and facility projects, with no new draw on the General Fund.

Put plainly, the City paid for an accessible route from the parking lot to the Picnic Pavilion. The section from the pavilion to the playground, which the original plan included to make the whole walk to the play area accessible, was left out of the contract.

Where the construction stands

The City's project page was last updated May 21. It says Palm received its Notice to Proceed on April 2, the consultant Dudek did construction staking the week of April 6, work began April 16, and completion was estimated for June 2026. The page hasn't been updated since. The City's completed-projects list, updated September 29, does not include Glen Park ADA. Going by what the City has posted, the contracted walkways are scheduled work with a completion date still listed as an estimate. No completion has been announced.

The playground has a design and no construction budget

The playground replacement is a separate project, and it's further from construction. The City's Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Department says the current equipment needs replacing because of its age and repair costs. The page also notes that maintenance usually can't keep playground equipment in service past about 20 years.

On April 15, 2025, the Parks and Recreation Commission approved a design by the City's consultant, Michael Baker International. The plan includes:

• Separate play areas for ages 2 to 5 and 5 to 12
• A three-bay swing set
• Engineered wood fiber mulch in place of the sand and worn rubber surfacing
• Adult fitness equipment where the horseshoe pit is now

The City's page, updated August 12, 2026, gives the current status in one line.

"Final design and permitting were completed in fall 2025. Additional funding is needed for project construction."

The same page says the City's Park Improvement Fund will pay for the equipment, ground cover and fitness stations, even though it also says construction still needs money. A draft capital improvement list from the City's March 18 budget workshop estimated the Glen Park playground replacement at $950,000 and marked it "No" for grant or other outside funding. The Council adopted the FY 2026–27 budget and capital plan on June 17. The City's August update, which came after that vote, still lists the playground as needing funding, and no construction date has been posted.

The playground project started in 2023 as part of a three-park equipment program. That year, the Council applied for state Parks and Recreation specified grant funds. The resulting $600,000 went to the playgrounds at Wiro and Orpheus parks. Glen Park didn't receive any of it.

Compare the two projects' costs. The draft playground estimate is about 2.8 times the $339,013 walkway contract, and the walkway contract alone took a transfer from two other City projects to fund.

The rest of the park, as it is this fall

The parts of Glen Park that don't depend on either project are working as usual. The City lists a play area, picnic facilities, restrooms, and basketball, tennis, volleyball and horseshoe courts. None of the courts can be reserved, the park itself can't be reserved, and alcohol isn't allowed. The City's walking guide also mentions the park's barbecue grills, paths and footbridges, its ocean views, and the Scout House. Seaside Day Camp uses the Scout House for ages 5 to 12 during summer and school breaks.

A block away, the Cardiff-by-the-Sea branch of the San Diego County Library at 2081 Newcastle Avenue has a community room, a bookstore and Wi-Fi.

The same few blocks host the rest of Cardiff 101's season, once Halloween is past:

• Saturday, November 28. Small Business Saturday. Participating businesses give out a limited-edition Cardiff poster with purchases.
• November 28 through January 31, 2027. The Cardiff 101 Holiday Passport, with discounts from more than 20 local businesses.
• Sunday, December 6. The Kringle Mingle on Aberdeen Drive. Makers Market booths and a craft table run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Surfing Santa takes photos in his vintage Camera Camper sleigh from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Giving Treats, Starbucks and Cardiff 101 provide hot coffee and hot chocolate.

The next big item on the park's own schedule is a funding decision. The playground has its design, permits and an approved layout, and the City's August update says construction can't start until the money is in place.

Homeowners on the blocks around Glen Park follow park upgrades, walkway work and Aberdeen Drive events more closely than anyone. If you live near the park and want to know how those details could figure into your home's value, FW Property Group is based in Cardiff and can give you a clear read. Request your free home valuation.