SAN DIEGO (CNS) - City Councilman Chris Ward, State Senate President Pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins, Assemblyman Todd Gloria and North Park Main Street Executive Director broke ground Thursday on San Diego's newest park.

The groundbreaking at the half-acre "mini-park" behind North Park Theater -- now known as the Observatory -- is the next step on a decade-long effort to get the open space planned and executed.

At the groundbreaking, students from nearby Jefferson Elementary participated in activities such as face-painting, chalk art and the chance to put items in a time capsule to rest under the park.

The park was approved in 2012 and the city began soliciting construction bids last July. It will take the place of a parking lot behind the Observatory and will include a climbing structure for children, a concrete stage for performances and a large screen for outdoor movie viewings.