West Sacramento begins $64 million renovation of Bryte Park

West Sacramento began a major renovation of one of its oldest parks Thursday, the city announced in a news release. The city started work on a $64 million project to renovate Bryte Park, a 24.5-acre park on Todhunter Avenue in the Bryte neighborhood.

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The renovated park will include grass and artificial turf sports fields, as well as an aquatic center, dog park, playground and amphitheater. The city plans to plant nine acres of natural grass, more than 200 trees and nearly 8,000 shrubs and other plants at the park.

The renovation followed years of work by city officials, driven in part by advocates in the local community who regularly attended council meetings to push for Bryte Park improvements, according to previous Bee reporting. The council, which voted to approve the renovation plans in March, attended a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday.

“Bryte Park has been the heart of the northern side of West Sacramento for generations,” West Sacramento Mayor Martha Guerrero said. “For years, residents have asked to have their community pool restored and for Bryte Park to be retrofitted with the same modernized amenities as other parks, and we are fulfilling that long-standing request.”

Funding sources for the renovation include a $15 million grant from the National Park Service, $750,000 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, a $1.5 million grant from the California Natural Resources Agency and $185,000 from the Buena Vista Rancheria Community Fund.

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Yolo County contributed $2.49 million to the project from the American Rescue Plan Act. The upgrades will make the park into “a place that the community can be proud of for years to come,” Yolo County Supervisor Oscar Villegas said. “As a kid growing up playing at Bryte Park it’s wonderful to know that future generations will enjoy all the modern amenities that this park will offer.”

Construction is expected to take about 18 months. Parts of the park will remain open to the public as construction allows, according to the news release.

Bryte Park takes its name from the surrounding Bryte neighborhood, which was named for the Bryte family, prominent early dairy farmers in the area. Mike Bryte operated a large dairy farm there in the 19th century, and his son, George Bryte Sr., later helped establish the community. The area, previously known as Riverbank, took the in 1915, according to the West Sacramento Historical Society.

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