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Vallejo Says ‘If You Build It They Will Come’…
April 25th, 2009 categories: Benicia, Local Stuff, Vallejo
Vallejo's new playground at City Park will feature a whale slide, tree fort and rock climbing wall.
Vallejo's new playground at City Park will feature a whale slide, tree fort and rock climbing wall.
Construction Of Vallejo’s One-Of-A-Kind Playground This Week Will Be Like An Old-Fashioned Barn-Raising
Between Wed. Apr. 29 and Sun. May 3, Vallejo’s sleepy City Park will be buzzing with hammers, saws, and cordless drills as Vallejoans and volunteers from neighboring cities turn out to help in what may seem much like an old-fashioned barn-raising.
Downtown Vallejo, or more specifically the large grassy block surrounded by Sacramento, Alabama, Marin and Louisiana streets will be a hub of activity, when hundreds of local volunteers show up to help build a huge fantasy-like wooden play structure in just five days.
Vallejo's City Park -- site of the new community-built playground.
The park was designed by Robert Leathers & Assoc. of Ithica, NY, the same architect who designed the Playground of Dreams in Benicia’s City Park.
Just like Vallejo’s new playground, Benicia’s play structure was also built by community volunteers — from start to finish in just five days back in the early 1990s.
For me, watching the Vallejo project unfold will be like reliving my younger days, for I still recall with great fondness the five days that my wife, daughters and I spent working on the Benicia project.
It was one of the greatest examples of community spirit and civic pride that I’ve ever experienced. You had skilled carpenters, who knew how to use the loudest and fastest power tools, working in harmony right alongside those who barely knew the difference between a hammer and a screwdriver. Everyone worked together in spirited, cooperative manner. New friendships were spawned and old ones cemented over those five magical days.
Benicia built its own playground designed by architect Robert Leathers in the early 1990's.
For the record, my daughters and I helped nail some of the structural members, shoveled some sand, installed the fire pole and had a great time doing it.
My oldest daughter is now married with two small children and often takes her two-year-old to play in the park that she helped build (she wrote her initials on one of the wood members and it stayed there for many years, but after many repeated applications of a wood preservative, it eventually wore off).
The camaraderie that everyone felt was something you can’t describe. The whole town came together for a common cause and over five days, we saw our dream grow from a pile of lumber to an incredible playground unlike anything we’d seen before.
Each playground that Leathers’ company designs is unique. It all starts with the local children. His staff meets with school children and finds out what they want in their park. In Benicia, they wanted a fire truck, a tractor, and a train. In Vallejo, among other things, the kids asked for a tree fort, a bumpy slide, a sea lion, a whale and a spider.
Site work has already begun at Vallejo's City Park in preparation for the community building project that begins this week.
Shortly after meeting with the kids, Leathers & Assoc. comes back with a detailed design of their new park. And then the hard part begins — raising money and organizing a construction schedule that must run like clockwork.
For in order for the playground to go from scratch to completion in five short days, no detail can be overlooked. You need plenty of people, tools, food, bathrooms, babysitters, good weather and a lot of luck.
Back when we built the Benicia park, about three days into it, I remember thinking that there was no way we’d finish in five days. Yet we did, just as Leathers’ people had assured us.
If you’re interested in helping out by donating your time, money, tools, or support, you’ll definitely be welcomed with open arms. The organizers are looking for people of all skill levels as well as those willing to loan tools for the work crew to use. Details on who and what are still needed appears on the Preserve City Park web site.
Even if you can’t volunteer or don’t have the resources to contribute, be sure to stop by between Wednesday and Sunday, for it should be a sight worth seeing…and certainly a once-in-Vallejo’s-lifetime type of event.
If it’s anything like what we experienced when we built Benicia’s Playground of Dreams it should bring the city together like never before.
If you can’t make it yourself, be sure to follow the progress here at HomeSection.com, as I plan to post photos as the project unfolds.
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Further Reading
Vallejo Playground Construction: Day One
Vallejo Playground Construction: Day Two
Vallejo Playground Construction: Day Three
Vallejo Playground Construction: Day Four
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