A community meeting in Stockton will be held Thursday to discuss potential uses for the former Van Buskirk golf course.

The meeting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Van Buskirk Community Center located at 734 Houston Ave. Members of the public will get an opportunity to share ideas for the former golf course.

The meeting will also have representatives from Stockton’s Community Services Department and Design Workshop Inc., which will make presentations regarding the park site.

The 192-acre park site first opened as a golf course in 1969, but ultimately was shut down permanently in 2019.

According to the city, the property located at 1740 Houston Ave. was donated to the city of Stockton by Charles and Bertha Van Buskirk in 1957 with a requirement in the deed to use the property for public recreation or public park purposes.

A Proposition 68 Improvement Grant given to the California Conservation Corps Delta Center in 2020 helped aid the removal of dead trees and invasive grasses at the former golf course and funding also went toward creating 3 miles of trails with compacted native surfacing, the city said.

Community members have the chance to submit comments about the project online. More information is available from the city’s website.

Victoria Franco is a Stockton-based reporter covering the diverse news around the Central Valley as part of the Report for America program. As a Stockton native, Franco is proud to cover stories within her community and report a variety of coverage. She is a San Jose State University alumna with a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism. In her collegiate years she was Managing Editor for the Spartan Daily. From her time at the Spartan Daily she helped lead her staff to California College Media Awards and a General Excellence first place. Victoria encourages readers to email her story tips and ideas at victoria.franco@baycitynews.com.