August 2009: LINCOLN PARK PLAYGROUND NOW UNDER CONSTRUCTION
JULY 19, 2008: PAINTING AND CLEANUP EVENT
On a Saturday morning in July, Richmond residents and park advocates gathered for a painting workday and sand cleanup at Lincoln Park Playground. The workday, organized through a partnership between the Friends of Lincoln Park, the Recreation and Parks Department (RPD), and the Neighborhood Parks Council (NPC), involved repainting the pressurized wood play structures, which require consistent sealing to prevent arsenic leeching, and sifting trash, cigarettes, and animal waste from the sand surfacing. Over 25 residents and volunteers, including several children helpers who painted the equipment, themselves, and Pete the Bulldog equally, came together to clean up the neighborhood playground on Clement Street and 34th Avenue.
“It was so nice to see the community gathered together for the workday,” commented Albert DiPadova, community organizer for the Friends of Lincoln Park, an organization dedicated towards the improvement of Lincoln Park. “As the community organizer, I was so excited to see the outpouring of support. Many community groups came together to help, and this project was a good example of how much interest there is in the Richmond District. There’s a lot of families and people willing to get involved.” Volunteers from George Washington High School and a free lunch provided by neighborhood restaurant Pizza City were welcome additions to the workday.
The workday was the second of ten workdays organized by the Neighborhood Parks Council and the Recreation and Parks Department to clean up some of the City’s most run-down playgrounds that received failing grades on NPC’s Playground Report Card conducted this spring. Lincoln Park Playground, which serves as an outdoor play space for many neighborhoods in the north Richmond, received a failing grade for issues such as paint deterioration, missing equipment, and poor sand quality. The Friends of Lincoln Park are organizing around a playground redesign project. The redesign is currently in the process of approval, moving towards a complete renovation and reconstruction of the playground to begin in early 2009.
AUGUST 9TH: SAND REPLACEMENT
The second Playground Initiative workday at Lincoln was held on August 9th. NPC, RPD, and the Friends of Lincoln Park collaborated to complete sand replacement at the playground. About 20 volunteers, lead by Park Section Supervisor Chuck McMackin, and Friends of Lincoln Park coordinator Albert DiPadova, spread 10 tons of sand underneath the swings and in the toddler play area making the fall surfaces softer, safer, and cleaner. Once again, Pizza City showed up with free lunch just as volunteers were finishing.
Overall, the completed work at Lincoln has greatly improved immediate safety and health at the playground and has significantly contributed to the Playground Initiative’s goal of upgrading the city’s worst playgrounds, ensuring safe play and exercise space for all children in San Francisco.
To see more photos of the workday click here .
To get involved in improvement efforts at Lincoln Park Playground or for current updates on Lincoln Park Playground, please contact the Friends of Lincoln Park.
