The reopening of the renovated Los Angeles State Historic Park (a.k.a. The Cornfield) has been pushed back a bit. It was supposed to finally happen in the second half of this year. Nope, says the Downtown News, which reports that the opening date has been delayed to January 2017.

The park closed in the spring of 2014 for a huge $20-million upgrade that would bring bathrooms, paved parking, about two acres of wetland space, space for farmers' markets, and informational displays detailing the site’s railway history. At the time, the makeover was only expected to take a year.

Delays came after some contaminants were found on the site and an old brick building foundation was discovered during excavation. The most recent delay is because due to park officials wanting to give the tender baby grass time to establish itself before it’s underfoot.

Working against more speedy grass growth is the long-standing drought. A park official told the Downtown News that the grass would grow quicker if park staff could water it with local water, but because of the drought, they have to use imported, reclaimed water. Watering will happen in two phases lasting through September, with time leftover for the grass to "stabilize," says the newspaper.