The New Ketchum-Libolt Park Skipped the Restroom to Make Room to Play

Ketchum-Libolt Park reopened on October 12 at Maple and Victoria streets on Costa Mesa's Westside. It is bigger, greener and better lit than before. The park has no restroom, and that's by design. When the city weighed adding one in 2024, staff concluded it would eat into the open space the whole project was meant to create. Neighborhood residents told the city they didn't want one either.

That one decision explains the rest of the park. Every feature at 2150 Maple Street went through the same test: does it add usable ground or take it away? If you live within walking distance, that test tells you how to use the place. It's a neighborhood backyard, not a park you drive to and spend the afternoon in.

A Third of an Acre, With Every Foot Assigned

Before the rebuild, the park covered 0.34 acres at the corner of Victoria and Maple. The Daily Pilot called it a pocket park whose shade, seating and playground mattered to nearby neighborhoods "where recreational open space is scarce."

The expansion pushed the park into an unused parkway next door, and the city now puts the total at about 24,000 square feet. The old 0.34 acres works out to roughly 14,800 square feet, so the park gained about 60 percent more ground. That's a real gain, but it's still a small lot. When the city decided how to fill it, small choices took up a big share of the space.

Here's what the rebuild put on that ground, according to the city and the Orange County Register:

Nearly everything on that list is something you can play on, sit under or walk across. A restroom would have been the only thing that isn't.

The Restroom Question, Settled in 2024

The restroom question came up at the Parks and Community Services Commission on June 27, 2024. Two members of the public raised concern that the design didn't include one. The city's staff report notes that neither lived in the surrounding neighborhood or in District 4, and that residents living closest to the park didn't share the concern. The commission backed the design as presented and suggested the City Council might add a restroom if it was feasible.

In its report to the council for the July 16, 2024 meeting, staff explained why the restroom stayed out:

"The total park area is somewhat small, approximately a third of an acre, and providing a restroom would reduce open park space and/or playground amenities."

The numbers made the same case. At the time, staff estimated the whole project at about $1.5 million. Adding a restroom would have meant about $30,000 for a redesign and about $350,000 more in construction. That's roughly a quarter on top of the estimated budget, spent on a building that would have taken up some of the open ground the expansion was meant to add. Staff also reported that neighborhood residents at the outreach meetings didn't support putting a restroom there.

The council approved the conceptual design, coastal theme and proposed improvements that day, clearing the way for construction to start in January 2026. The construction scope the city later put out to bid didn't include a restroom.

In practice, this is a park for a short walk from home. Fill a water bottle at the fountain, let the kids burn off an hour, and head back.

How the Neighbors Shaped the Rest of It

The restroom wasn't the only thing the neighborhood weighed in on. The city held outreach in 2023 and early 2024, with neighborhood meetings, notices to nearby residents, schools and businesses, and online surveys. At the outreach meeting, the city's consultant, Architerra, showed design boards, and residents voted for features with dot stickers.

Most people picked the Coastal design. The theme vote came out nearly tied between "Whimsical" and "Police & First Responders," and the commission recommended pairing the Coastal design with the police theme. That's why the finished park mixes coastal design with helicopter play features and law enforcement mosaics. City staff also contacted the Ketchum and Libolt families during design.

The words in the walkways came from the community too. Through its Sidewalk Poetry Project, a joint effort of the Public Works and Parks & Community Services departments, the city invited writers of any age with ties to Costa Mesa to submit short poems for the new concrete. The themes were Community, Heroism, Duty, Safety and Service, and the deadline was April 27, 2026. According to the Orange County Register, community members' poetry is now stamped into the park's concrete.

The Names on the Sign

The neighborhood input mattered more because this park is also a memorial. It was first dedicated in August 2005 to Costa Mesa Senior Police Officers Dave Ketchum and Mike Libolt, who died in a helicopter crash on March 10, 1987. The Daily Pilot reported that their helicopter, Eagle II, collided with a Newport Beach police helicopter during a pursuit at 10:20 p.m. A civilian flight instructor was also killed. The Daily Pilot also reports that they are the only Costa Mesa police officers to die in the line of duty.

The October 12 ceremony included a Police Honor Guard and a helicopter flyover. Family members of both officers were there, along with city and police leaders and elected officials. In a statement reported by the Orange County Register, Police Chief Joyce LaPointe described the park as "a place where children will play, families will spend time together, and neighbors will get to know one another." She added that when someone asks about the names on the sign, "we have a story to share about service, courage, sacrifice and two officers whose commitment to Costa Mesa is still remembered."

Hers is the same priority the restroom decision reflected. The space goes to kids playing and neighbors meeting, and the memorial is built into that space.

What It Cost, and How the Price Moved

Keeping the plan lean didn't keep the price at the 2024 estimate. Here's how the numbers moved:

1. July 2022. Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris secured a $1.2 million state allocation, which kicked off community outreach.
2. July 2024. Staff estimated the project as proposed at about $1.5 million.
3. October 21, 2025. The City Council voted 5-0 to award the construction contract to Elegant Construction, Inc. of Irvine for $2,527,737, plus a 10 percent contingency for overruns.
4. October 12, 2026. The park opened. The Daily Pilot had reported a completion target of "next summer," so it opened about a season later than hoped.

The state money covered close to half the bid, and city capital funds covered most of the rest. Public Works Director Raja Sethuraman told the council that any gap could be covered with money left over from other capital projects. One example was a remodel of a Costa Mesa police shooting range that came in $250,000 under budget.

So a project that started at roughly $1.5 million on paper ended up as a contract of about $2.5 million. If the restroom had been added, its roughly $380,000 would have been part of that higher total.

Victoria Street Is the Next Question

The city's project page closes by asking residents to check back for updates. For the Westside, the bigger hint came from Mayor Pro Tem Manuel Chavez, whose District 4 includes the park. At the October 2025 contract vote, the Daily Pilot reported him saying it was "a long time coming for District 4" and that the park is "going to be a cornerstone for a bigger reimagining of Victoria Street." No Victoria Street plan has been laid out alongside the park.

If you live near Maple and Victoria and you're wondering how changes like this one fit into your own plans for your home, from staying put to upgrading to eventually selling, Jacob Klimenko can walk through it with you. We'll keep it simple, look at your actual goals, and build a plan around them. Book a Free Strategy Session whenever you're ready.