More Progress by the Friends of Maxwell Park

by Pat Patterson

It's a weekend morning and a small group gathers at Maxwell Park to talk about upcoming plans for park improvements. There's something in the air—some "TLC" for a favorite spot in our community. It's the Park Neighborhood Action Team, or NAT (Friends of Maxwell Park), led by Nancy Karigaca.

Maxwell Park is a treasure that came as a gift to our area in the late '70s. A man named Crowley owned the property—the biggest home and yard on Allendale. He willed it to the city, the area was cleaned up and groomed, and play structures were added. Families have used the park for years, along with Peter Pan Pre-School kids. Recently, the annual Allendale block party, as well as the neighborhood's annual "Day in the Park" have increased the park's importance to the community.

Over the last four years, Allendale and Fleming neighbors planted over 500 daffodil bulbs, as part of the Keep Oakland Beautiful project. The city assisted Allendale neighbors in planting an oak tree and planning a special ceremony in memory of Kay O'Brien. A deep ring of daffodils blooms every spring around the five-year-old oak just to the right of Peter Pan School in the park.

The Park NAT has been working since last April to get their park improvement project up and running. They have now had three major general meetings, many team meetings, and two meetings with Jean Quan's staff and the Department of Public Works. An active survey project to get neighbors' input resulted in almost 300 responses.

The survey results were reviewed in late August, and in October the NAT had its first meeting with the city to set design priorities. The main concerns of survey participants were lack of safety, lack of cleanliness, lack of sunlight, and limited play equipment.

NAT members recently met in the park to see how suggested changes might work out. A second city meeting, including Jean Quan and her aides, plus members of the Deparment of Public works, took place on November 20. Meanwhile, a series of small weekend park events was organized by one of the team members to increase use of the park and attract new volunteers.

"Right now the main focus of the project is on design, and what's possible in terms of money and space. The group wants to work out a long-term design plan, and then start with the least costly and quickest parts of the project, so people can participate in a physical way and start to see some changes. Given the present economy, we will be looking first at a lot of small changes that can use volunteer labor. With all the energy and enthusiasm seen so far in the park volunteers, it should be a lot of fun, once the actual on the ground work gets started," states Nancy.

How to help? The Park NAT definitely needs more members for its fundraising team, as well as volunteers for the physical work in the park. It's easiest to keep up with the park activities if you join the MP-Park yahoo group. To join or to participate in any capacity, please contact Nancy at nkarigaca\@comcast.net or 436-6680.