For now, Central Park and bridge location stand alone, empty

The area reserved for an amphitheater remains a construction zone in Central Park. (Staff photos)

By Doug Spoon, Editor

Right now, there is nothing “central” about Menifee’s Central Park or the pedestrian bridge leading to it. Pieces of the bridge sit in a fenced-off section of the park, next to an unfinished amphitheater. Vacant vendor booths are roped off and there are no visitors around.

But unlike the theater site, over which city officials had little control, this “ghost town” will definitely come alive, they say, explaining that there will be movement in the area of Menifee Town Center’s park soon. Now the question remains, when will it all be finished?

“There will be much more activity over the next several weeks,” said Phil Southard, the city’s public information officer. “For the Paloma Wash Pedestrian Bridge, the contractor will be pouring the abutment walls next week. It will take a few days for the concrete to cure, so there will not be any significant work during that time. The last two parts of the bridge will arrive the week of Sept. 8 and the full bridge will begin to be assembled at that time. The project is anticipated to be finished by mid-December.”

The bridge that is. For the amphitheater, who knows?

The bridge is designed to be an entrance to the park and amphitheater from east of Paloma Wash. The idea is for guests to park at Countryside Marketplace across Haun Road or The Marketplace on the west side of Haun Road. Entrance to the bridge will be just south of the entrance to the parking lot of Aldi and Sonic.

It might not look like it now, but the amphitheater foundation that exists with partial framing will eventually become a $6.6 million structure with a shell covering, concrete stage, lighting and sound system, and backstage area with storage facilities. City officials hope to attract entertainment acts to perform at the venue. There will be no seating on the grass area in front of the amphitheater, however.

“The majority of the funds utilized for the construction of the amphitheater are restricted to park development and could not be used for road infrastructure projects, and one-time funding sources that could not be used to support ongoing operations,” Southard said in a previous news article in response to complaints from the general public about the cost.

The amphitheater project was first discussed by City Council members as a modest element in the Menifee Town Center plans in 2016. But after several increases in design and funding, groundbreaking for the facility didn’t take place until February 2024.

Work on the amphitheater stopped months ago due to a delay in receiving the beams that will facilitate the curved shape of the shell covering over the current concrete stage, Southard said previously. He provided no revised timeline on completion for the structure, which originally was expected to take a year.

“No significant work is scheduled to begin on the amphitheater until after the Paloma Wash Pedestrian Bridge is completed,” Southard said on Friday.

The grass is dying and there are no visitors seen at Central Park on this day.

 Vendor booths that are used during public events are closed these days.

The pedestrian bridge will span this section of Paloma Wash east of the walking trail and Central Park.