Merced Heights Playground Workday

Saturday, August 23rd

Just before 9 am on Saturday, August 23rd, two truckloads of sand made their way down Byxbee Street. Meanwhile, residents from the Merced Heights neighborhood were gathering at the Merced Heights Playground for a community workday. As the trucks arrived and unloaded almost 25 tons of sand, residents rolled up their sleeves and prepared for the task at hand. Volunteers consisted of a variety of neighborhood residents: from actively engaged community stewards, to longtime residents new to volunteer work, newly arrived young couples, and a few young children eager to help with their appropriately sized plastic shovels. By noon, the group’s hard work paid off, with the playground having a fresh base of sand.

The 800 Shields Block Club has been increasingly active in maintaining the Merced Heights Playground. One resident mentioned that the group gathers each fourth Saturday to work both in the playground and the recreation center. Additionally, this workday provided an opportunity for current members to recruit new membership. At least one resident who was new to volunteer work showed interested in attending future playground events. “Many hands make light work”, said one resident who is a veteran of the playground’s workdays. In fact, the group is looking primed for expansion, which should mean good things for the playground.

Though the addition of new sand certainly improved the playground’s usability and appearance, there is more work to be done. Looking forward, the existing core members of the Block Club would like to ramp up advocacy around eventually getting the park renovated. In the meantime, residents discussed ways to consistently report maintenance issues using Parkscan.org. A mother of two small children in the area expressed her concerns about the swing sets in particular, and used the opportunity to alert Recreation and Park Department staff who were on hand for the workday. These discussions continued through lunch, which was generously donated by a local Subway.

Energized by lunch and a good day’s work, the group is looking forward to future workdays. Their efforts will improve the playground’s usability and appearance, and will also help to raise the playground’s grade on the Neighborhood Parks Council’s Playground Report Card. Conducted this past spring, the Report Card assessed the conditions of the city’s playgrounds and formed the basis of the Neighborhood Parks Council’s Playground Initiative, which works to improve the conditions of the city’s playgrounds by partnering with volunteers and the Recreation and Parks Department to ensure that all children in San Francisco have safe and clean play areas.

Click here for a lovely photo collage from the day.