#bushrod

Our incredible Bushrod Rec Center director, George Henderson, hosted a community meeting in late October to talk about how we can make the park better. That whole thing was a cute story for another time, but the one big takeaway was this: the grass needs time to rest in the winter, which means that the Bushrod Athletic Fields (Racine side) are going to be closed for a few months.

For those who have been around for awhile, this shouldn't come as a surprise at all; the fields are closed every winter for the same reason. A lot of parks in San Francisco do the same thing, and kids, dogs, athletes, and other park-goers would find new places to hang out for a few months. In the past few years here, we've had people defy the closure by cutting bolts or holes in the fence... which is honestly not good for anyone (replacing those things is expensive, which takes away from the park's already slim budget for recreational activities and maintenance).

Here are a couple good reasons to give the fields a break this winter...

• The fields get easily damaged when wet. Heavy activity (from dogs, people, etc running around) basically reduces the fields to a muddy mess.
• It's good for the park's natural ecosystem! There are a bunch of migrating birds that come this way during the winter months that use the park to roost. Their grazing and fertilization also makes the grass healthier.
• It gives us better athletic fields. Having a rest period gives the little league volunteers more time to prepare the fields for the spring, and rewards their excellent work during the on-season. These are important fields that used to host the A's, and they still support thousands of people every year – let's treat them with care!

So, from one neighbor to another: let's give the fields a break until March! In the meantime, explore another local park like Dover, Hardy/Frog, or even just the other (non-athletic) side of Bushrod Park.

...at least that's the word on the block!, but there is no website or email address for our specific park that I know of (maybe that should change?). Email CommunityGardens@oaklandca.gov or maybe George at ghenderson@oaklandca.gov.

Sometime in the middle of last month I dragged a couple chairs, a box of pizza, and some watermelon to the park to hang out and talk about the park! I got a lot of responses on the survey (responses are here), but I had truly zero idea how many people would show up.

Thankfully, I was not alone by any means. Three neighbors (most of whom had never met before) sat and chatted for a few hours about our personal histories, our local environment, the abandoned school building, and more. A couple other neighbors in the park popped by to join in every now and then.

From both that lovely conversation and the survey results (left QR code), there's a lot we could do:

• There is a lot that we all agree would improve the park right now, like a better playground or just cleaning up trash. K & J are thinking about hosting a cleanup day soon; send me a note if you're into that and let's make it happen!
• We have to treat the park's environment with care. Did you know the park is an important roosting site for some local birds? Or that J has been patching up the parts of the field that have eroded away? I did not!
• Dogs are loved, but we agreed the park is for people first and foremost. We can do better to make sure the park is clean, kids are safe, and athletes can practice undisturbed. Good ideas came up to manage that better.
• The abandoned building (a preschool, apparently) on the NE corner is an opportunity. It would be complicated and expensive to clean it up and transfer the property, but that site could be much more.

Anyway, lots to talk about! The councilmember's office is interested in helping improve the park too, so I'm thinking of organizing another park conversation. If you're interested, please subscribe through the usual link.

I got a lot of responses from folks who were all interested in improving Bushrod Park. Here were some of the most interesting comments:

• "A pedestrian crossing right in front of the park, on the Shattuck side"
• "Would be great to remove those new locks on the doors between the west side of the park and the fields on the east side for easier movement."
• "A cafe on shattuck and 60th st in the little stretch of stores. The pickleballers would buy so many drinks!"

Of everything, it people seem somewhat uncertain about how dogs should be in the park. Some people think they should have full reign, while others think they should at least have a separate area so that they don't disturb the sports players or endanger children. For sure, it goes against the old rules of the park (see the scratched-out "No Dogs" signs on all the fences), but maybe it's time for a new policy that works for everyone.

In any case, a lot of people want to make the park better! I'm going to host a little meetup on Tues 8/19 to discuss! Sign up here.

For whatever reason, I've only recently started to come to Bushrod Park regularly... and I am all the better for it.

I think my relationship to the park started to change because of pickleball (ironically). I'd always been a bit pickle-skeptic, but after watching these folks on a random Tuesday night I couldn't help but feel a bit of awe – not just because of their athleticism, but because it really seemed to bring people of all backgrounds together in a way that made me smile. Before I knew it, someone saw me from the corner of their eye and invited me in, and I joined them for more than a couple games.

I truly believe this park has just about everything you could want — dogs racing down the fields, throngs of families cheering on their eight-year olds as they sprint around the softball bases, dudes out ballin' on the basketball courts, enormous fields to appreciate the big blue sky. I've personally taken a liking to the magnificent sycamore trees that greet you on your way in; the circle of colored bricks at the base has lost a lot of its luster, but it's enough just to lounge underneath those wide branches.

The more time I spend there, the more I feel a need to just fix all the little things I see that are a bit off. Don't get me wrong, this park is still an absolute gem. But things like the lack of benches under the tree or the patchy grass on the soccer field get to me sometimes. I wish I could just take a bucket of paint and put some color back on those rocks, or at least touch up the sign on 59th St. Maybe it could be something as simple as a "Friends of Bushrod Park" group that could coordinate community projects (and negotiate with the city government or our councilperson, Zac Unger) where needed.

Anyway, just dreaming out loud. Point is, our park is maybe one of the best in the city.