A Community Vision for Weedpatch Park A report from the November 9, 2013 workshop on revitalizing Weedpatch Park September 2014 Prepared by: Local Government Commission Sierra Designs, Inc.
September 2014 Acknowledgements South Kern Building Healthy Communities Amerika Nino-Rodriguez Co-Chair, Recreation Action Team County of Kern Ruth Leon Field Representative, Supervisor Leticia Perez, Fifth District Bear Mountain Recreation Jorge Medina Board Member, Bear Mountain Recreation Lorena Cervantes District Manager, Bear Mountain Recreation Kathleen Kress Grant Manager, Bear Mountain Recreation Design Team Local Government Commission Paul Zykofsky, AICP, Associate AIA Associate Director Aatisha Singh, MRP Project Manager 1303 J Street, Suite 250 Sacramento, CA 95814 916-448-1198 Sierra Designs, Inc. Daniel M. Veyna, ASLA Principal Landscape Architect Kay Hutmacher, ASLA Principle Landscape Architect 113 North Church Street, Suite 310 Visalia, CA 93291 559-733-3690 Support provided by The California Endowment. Views and opinions presented in this report do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of The California Endowment, the County of Kern, or Bear Mountain Recreation. i
Contents The Workshop 1 Conceptual Park Improvements 2 Conceptual Street Improvements 3 Implementation 4 Acknowledgments 6 Appendix A: Workshop Participants 7 Appendix B: Park Statistics from Community Fact Finder 8 ii
September 2014 A Community Vision for Weedpatch Park On November 9, 2013, the Local Government Commission (LGC) partnered with the South Kern Building Healthy Communities site and Bear Mountain Recreation to hold an interactive community workshop at Weedpatch Park and the nearby Sunset Middle School, located in Weedpatch, Kern County. The goal of the workshop was to develop a community vision for how the park could be improved, and to identify next steps and priorities that Bear Mountain Recreation and the community can focus on for the future. The LGC facilitated a half day of discussion in English and Spanish, and the landscape architecture firm Sierra Designs Inc. provided design expertise. Funding from The California Endowment made the event possible. This report documents the event activities and shares the conceptual vision developed at the workshop. The Workshop The workshop drew 14 diverse participants (see attendance list in Appendix A), which included local residents, as well as Kern County and Bear Mountain Recreation representatives. Local leaders and staff distributed paper and electronic copies of English and Spanish flyers in advance at neighborhood events. Workshop participants gathered at Sunset Middle School for an opening presentation by Dan Veyna from Sierra Designs, Inc. on park revitalization. Dan shared images of potential improvements, including examples of playing fields, outdoor spaces, equipment, lighting, and structures from other similar parks. A key point made by Dan was that when families regularly use a park, that activity goes a long way towards discouraging criminal activity. Creating a space that is attractive to families is key to addressing some of the community s concerns about safety and security. There are a number of examples where increased use of a park has led to an improved park, including Stiern Park in south Bakersfield. Left: Participants begn their tour of the park. 1
The community then took a bus to Weedpatch Park in order to walk through the park to talk more about what was and was not working and to explore their ideas further. The participants then returned to the Sunset Middle School to write and draw some of their ideas on maps. Participants shared their ideas with each other and the group created a list of potential improvements based on the maps and the day s discussion. The group then voted to identify their priorities. The results are shown on this page. In the following months, the team worked to turn the community s maps and priorities into a draft plan. This draft was presented back to the community for further feedback during a follow up meeting at Caliente Creek Apartments Community Room on April 30, 2014. Participants returned to see the draft vision, ask questions, and voice general support. Conceptual Park Improvements A conceptual illustration of how to incorporate the community s vision is seen on the next page and described below. To make it easier for residents to walk around the park year-round, the plan proposes building an 8-foot wide pathway on the perimeter of the park. Above: Participants walk through the park and share their ideas with facilitators. A second path would connect the existing play area in the middle of the park to the southern boundary. A water or spray park would be added adjacent to the existing circular play area. This second path would define two sections of the park: the western section would be a large sports lawn where residents could play soccer and other sports; the eastern portion would provide a space for casual free play. Picnic tables and benches along the path would provide a place for groups to gather and for walkers to rest. The existing basketball courts on the northwest corner would be enhanced with benches on the east and west edges. Lighting would be improved throughout the park. 2
September 2014 On the western part of the park, the plan calls for adding a retaining wall to the south of the parking lot where the slope is steep. This would allow construction of a ramp for disabled residents and the expansion of the existing pavilion. A second larger shaded pavilion would be built to the west and a bandstand would be added to the south of the existing pavilion. These changes would create a space for larger community gatherings. The pathway system mentioned earlier would connect to this area. The existing rest rooms would be improved and the building would be expanded to the south to provide space for storage of equipment. Conceptual Street Improvements The location of Weedpatch Park on the edge of town makes access difficult for residents, especially children. Buena Vista Road has intermittent sidewalks on the north side of the road next to single family homes east of the park. Over time it would be helpful to build out the missing sidewalk segments to provide a place to walk at least as far as Ralph Road. From that point on, an off-street asphalt trail could be constructed on the north side of the road. To facilitate crossing the street to the park, the County could install a crosswalk in front of the park. To insure that motorists slow down on approach, beacons, signs and warning lights could be placed to the east and west of the crossing to alert motorists to the crossing. 3
Implementation Based on community priorities, the pathway around the park and the water or spray park are seen as having the most potential impact on making the park more family-friendly and attracting more legitimate users. There are several options in terms of next steps. Additional input from more community members to further refine the vision could be sought. If done, it is wise to document any additional community engagement, as the more buy-in from residents is shown, the more attractive it will be for funders. A common next step in park revitalization projects is to follow visioning with developing an estimated cost for improvements, which can serve as a shopping list to seek funding for individual plan components. Documented costs are often needed for grant applications and can also help determine fundraising goals. In terms of the timing of implementing various components of the plan, it makes sense to begin with the priority list, start at the top and work down with a few considerations in mind. First, if an opportunity presents itself to accomplish something further down the list, then it makes sense to take advantage of that. Second, when a feature has been identified as needing to be relocated, the replacement facility should be constructed before the existing facility is removed, so that the amenity is preserved. Third, an important consideration is to include the possibility of additional improvements when any change is made. For example, if a spray park will be installed, electrical improvements would likely be needed, so while working on the main electrical Top, Middle: Participants continue the tour. Bottom: Participants return to the workshop room to put some of their ideas on maps of the park. 4
September 2014 panel, future capacity can be installed to handle all of the future improvements. If implementing all of the improvements means a large electrical panel is needed, but the spray park alone only needs a medium size panel, the large panel (but not necessarily all the circuit breakers) should be installed. Another example would be if a conduit for wires needs to be installed below ground, provide space for future additional wiring to run through it as well, so that portion of the park does not need to be torn up again to install that future improvement. One way to make an immediate difference in the park while waiting for funding is to increase the use of the park with the help of nearby supportive organizations. Partnering with nearby churches and community groups to schedule events and activities in Weedpatch Park will help people become familiar with what the park has to offer, and every legitimate use further decreases opportunities for bad behavior. There are some specific funding opportunities to consider, including, but not limited to, Community Development Block Grants, Proposition 84 Grants, and Safe Routes to School grants. The Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) commits federal funds to local governments to provide decent housing, provide a suitable living environment, and to expand economic opportunities. Kern County receives funds in amounts determined by applying a formula to the total amount of CDBG funds appropriated by Congress. The distribution, or grants, are made after the Grantee has submitted their Consolidated Community Development Plan. The Board of Supervisors has appointed the Planning and Community Development Department as their staff Top, Middle: Participants create a list of potential improvements based on the maps and the day s discussion. Bottom: Participants vote to identify their priority improvements. 5
Prioritized improvements from community drawn maps All of the elements below were reported as aspects the community would like to see, and this is the participant s prioritized list followed by the number of votes each item received. Better lighting/irrigation 9 Walkway around the park 8 Fix bathrooms 7 Multi-purpose dance floor / senior center w/ramps 7 Water park 7 Add picnic areas 4 Seating around basketball court 4 Water fountains 4 Sidewalk between Weedpatch and the park 3 Pond for fish 2 Bigger / better / more prominent park signs 2 Fence to keep balls in the park 2 Trash cans that cannot be removed 2 More share trees 2 Take care of your park signs 2 Area for hopscotch / 4 square 2 Amphitheater 2 Block view to west / mural 1 Skate park 1 to plan for and implement projects and programs approved by the Board for use of these funds. There is also the opportunity to fundraise from individuals, organizations, and businesses, and use volunteer labor to make some improvements. The Greenfield Walking Group used this approach successfully to get a sidewalk installed in Stiern Park in south Bakersfield. In another example from the City of Visalia, local Rotary Clubs funded the installation of two water play features. The City provided the location and power, and waived permit fees. The cost of construction materials was covered by Rotary donations, and they also provided volunteer labor. The City assumed the ongoing maintenance expenses. Acknowledgements The Local Government Commission and Sierra Designs, Inc. would like to sincerely thank Southern Kern BHC Recreation Action Team Co-Chair Amerika Nino- Rodriguez who helped promote and organize the workshop, Bear Mountain Recreation representatives for making a strong showing on a holiday weekend, and most of all, the community members who worked hard to develop their vision. 6
September 2014 Appendix A:Workshop Participants Amada Alonso, Dolores Huerta Foundation Lorena Cervantes, Bear Mountain Recreation Guadalupe Curiel, Resident Gabriela Fernandez, Resident Francisca Hasl, Vineland School District Gerardo Jimenez, Resident Kathleen Kress, Bear Mountain Recreation Ruth Leon, Office of Supervisor Leticia Perez Jorge Medina, Bear Mountain Parks Board of Directors Amerika Nino-Rodriguez, Building Healthy Communities South Kern, Boys & Girls Club of Kern County Jennifer Yepez, Dolores Huerta Foundation Julia Yepez, Dolores Huerta Foundation Maria Yepez, Dolores Huerta Foundation Oscar Yepez, Dolores Huerta Foundation 7
Appendix B:Workshop Participants This is your Community FactFinder report for the project you have defined. Please refer to your Project ID in any future communications about this project. Project ID: 28742 Date created: April 29, 2014 County: City: Kern Weedpatch Coordinates: 35.237137, -118.921633 Total Population: 669 Median Household Income: $26,079 Number of people below poverty line: 285 Project Site Park acreage: 0.00 Park acres per 1,000 population: 0.00 If your service area includes a modified park (outlined in red), the statistic shown match the new boundary. All numbers above have been calculated based on a ½ mile radius from the point location of your project. Demographics are figured by averaging population numbers over selected census block groups and using the percent of the block group within the project circle to determine the actual counts. Parks and park acres are based on best available source information but may not always contain exact boundaries or all parks in specific locations. Parks acreage does not include major lakes or ocean. Users can send update information to: parkupdates@parks.ca.gov Data Sources: Demographics - Claritas Pop-Facts, block group level (2010) Parks - Calif. Protected Areas Database v. 1.6 (Feb. 2011) 8