Can parks transform a community? This Richmond nonprofit thinks so

RICHMOND Parks have the power to heal That s the belief inspiring a local nonprofit dedicated to breathing new life into Richmond s historically underserved Iron Triangle neighborhood Named for the three lines of train tracks that form it the Iron Triangle is a one-square-mile section of Richmond that has undergone various major changes over the decades thanks in large part to the work of Pogo Park a nonprofit led by founder and Executive Director Toody Maher Related Articles Mystery investor grabs hundreds of empty acres near East San Jose Santa Clara County appoints its first female chief park ranger Child dies injured after tree falls at California summer camp Fort Ord Dunes State Park campground to be built along Monterey Bay San Jose gets court order to keep alleged drug dealers out of St James Park Their vision is big but their approach is simple transform a neighborhood by bringing the group into the design and expansion process strengthening the feeling of ownership and care for the park Maher announced People want to take care of it because they feel like it s theirs and it s their responsibility Maher commented Through the Pogo Park approach district pride is sparked and trickles out to other parts of the neighborhood where residents begin their own planting and beautification projects Maher mentioned The Pogo Park company made up of several Iron Triangle natives has been doing this work for nearly two decades starting with the overhaul of Elm Playlot a pocket park in the heart of the neighborhood once known for its violent crime and nightly drug deals Attempts by the city to improve the park never seemed to stick Maher declared That s when she partnered with concerned residents Tonie and Carmen Lee to galvanize the society to take matters into their own hands With the city s OK locals designed and built out a park that in the modern day acts as a gathering place hosts weekly activities and welcomes children for lunches in the summer Nothing had worked in this neighborhood so they were willing to take a chance Maher announced It turns out the way we did it by involving the people from the neighborhood tied the success of the park into improving people s lives in such a big way Backing Maher s assertions is a survey led by University of California Berkeley Professor Jason Corburn who directs the university s Institute of Urban and Regional Growth Center for Global Healthy Cities and the joint Master of City Planning and Master of Citizens Strength degree scheme Through conducting dozens of interviews reviewing documents and surveys spanning more than a decade and collecting public observations the unit exposed that residents living near Elmwood Playlot felt substantially safer and more connected in their area following Pogo Park s redevelopment of the site In addition to beautifying the park the nonprofit employed local residents full time paid others fair wages for their contribution to the project and became a trusted outlet for reporting concerns that ultimately resulted in a decrease in crime according to the account While Pogo Park is a work-in-progress and its transformation still on-going this development suggests there may be lessons for other cities and communities around the world interested in transforming urban green space into a healing place the document read Eager to continue that change the Pogo Park club has spent years duplicating their visioning process through the maturation of two projects the Yellow Brick Road a youth-initiated effort to create a designated safe passage for kids to walk and bike home from school and the Harbour- Park a -acre plot of land bordering the southern boundary of the Iron Triangle Similar to Elm Playlot Pogo Park built a miniature replica of their vision for the park both of which are at the moment on display at Pogo Park headquarters Life-sized models of each feature were then built on the actual site to help determine exact dimensions An architect professional construction crew and in-house staff have since continued to collaborate on bringing the vision to life Maher disclosed Once fully built out Harbour- Park will feature a rented picnic area with custom barbecue pits made in house a mini playfield with turf and professional sports lighting water and sand areas for sensory play a tot-lot with hand-carved wooden climbing features a -foot zipline made to look like an exploding volcano and an progressing play area with a towering jungle gym trampolines swings and merry-go-round Already mostly built on the site is Harbour Hall a region center and private patio that will host initiatives and private events The hall supported by a million grant will also double as Contra Costa County s first Group Resiliency Center during emergencies Greater part of the nearly million needed to fund the park project has already been sourced through grants and donations allowing the squad to build what Maher called the Ford Pinto model of the park that s expected to open this fall That version swaps out the developing play area for a three-foot play mound until additional funding can be raised to assistance the Cadillac model Maher stated In the future Maher revealed the group plans to add a commercial kitchen to the site and dreams of operating an electric cable-car that would take people from the park to stops along the Yellow Brick Road I love parks I think they re the greater part underutilized populace spaces a lot of times because they re duds But when a park works really works at the highest level it s a transformational constituents space It s magic Maher disclosed Meticulous thought and attention went into every piece of the park from the angles of each bench to the professional basketball court style flooring in Harbour Hall Maher mentioned Additional help in the form of expertise at either low-rates or pro-bono has also been offered by people like Steve and Molly Batchelder arborists behind SBCA Tree Consulting who ve provided years of consultation on tree care and Jay Conners a Richmond-based tile layer of more than years who helped build the column signs that will greet visitors to the park I ve heard about it for years and years knowing Toody disclosed Conners a long-time friend of Maher I can t say no to Toody Thanks to the advocacy of Councilmember Jamelia Brown the project also received a million contribution from the city in June cutting their funding gap in half For Brown her assistance of Pogo Park and the new Harbour- park is personal having grown up in the Iron Triangle As an organization Pogo Park represents a model for community-led change whose work brings life to places like Harbour- and Elm Playlot but also empowers local residents to take ownership of their neighborhoods Brown mentioned in an email The success of Elm Playlot which Brown has previously lauded as a place of refuge in Richmond is proof that Pogo Park s mission and society collaboration works The project itself she added is another outlay into the needed and deserved safety and elation of the local neighborhood and further builds the organization s legacy in the city Brown declared What Ms Toody and the Pogo Park crew are doing is transformational They ve taken an overlooked stretch of land and turned it into an oasis of peace a welcoming society space that reflects the creativity and resilience of the Iron Triangle Brown stated in an email I grew up near these parks and I want every child including my own to feel safe seen and celebrated in a space that reflects their worth