Sebastopol reaps benefits from open space grants

County awards $529,000 for Skatepark and community garden, $800,000 to purchase Village Park property

by George Snyder - Sonoma West Staff Writer

SEBASTOPOL - The Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District's advisory committee has recommended two matching parks grants totaling $1.3 million be awarded to the city of Sebastopol.

District officials said the grants, which do not necessarily need approval by the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors unlike property acquisitions, are a done deal.

“The supervisors may or may not decide to vote on grants such as these,” said District spokesperson Maureen Middlebrook. “They are aware of them and have no problem with them going forward.”

The largest grant, $800,000, will help the city to purchase a portion of the Village Park mobile home property along Sebastopol Avenue for incorporation into the city's Laguna de Santa Rosa Wetlands Preserve.

The second grant of $529,575 will go to the Sebastopol Skatepark/Community Garden project, and will allow the City to restore elements of the park that could not otherwise be built due to funding constraints.

“This is terrific news,” said Sebastopol Mayor Sam Pierce. “Our Skatepark/Community Garden project will be greatly enhanced by this grant. And the second grant will help us take advantage of a unique opportunity to protect a beautiful wooded area of the Laguna and open it up for public access.”

The grants are being recommended under the District's Matching Grant program, where cities, non-profits and other organizations may apply for open space and recreation funding.

The Village Park mobile home property is located on Highway 12, next to the bridge over the Laguna de Santa Rosa at the eastern entrance to the city.

The grant will be directed towards acquisition of the open space areas of the property and related park improvements, which may include frontage access improvements and landscaping, as well as placement of the proposed ‘Guardian Angel' sculpture by local artist Patrick Amiot.

The open space area of the site would be incorporated into the city's Laguna Wetlands Preserve, according to Sebastopol Planning Director Kenyon Webster, who said the mobile home portion of the property would be purchased by the city, with the ultimate objective of converting it to Laguna parkland.

He added the plan would have no mandatory displacement of existing residents, meaning any transition of this portion of the property to parkland is expected to take a number of years.

The Skatepark/Garden project grant will allow restoration of a beginner skating area previously cut from construction plans for budget reasons.

It will also pay for a bathroom, irrigation system, community garden plots, and other elements according to Webster who is also the Skatepark project manager.

“The District rocks!” Webster said. “We are extremely gratified by these recommendations. Our community's recreational resources will be enhanced by the grants.”

Plans for the Skatepark/Community Garden Park include a 15,000-square-foot skate structure and a community garden, complete with individual plots and custom artist-designed tables and benches created by Sebastopol's Sculpture Jam group.

Designed by Wormhoudt Inc., of Santa Cruz, with input from local skaters, the Skatepark will be the city's second new park in recent years, following development of the City's Laguna Wetlands Preserve in the late 1990's. Construction is expected to start this summer.

The effort to build the park has involved 15-year effort by skaters, parents, and community garden proponents, including the non-profit, West County Skatepark group, which played a critical role in pushing for the park and helping formulate the park's design.

The two grants were among ten funding recommendations totaling $10 million proposed by the open space district across the county, including two other West County projects: $88,000 to connect the West County Trail near Ross Road and $50,000 requested by the Russian RiverKeeper to enhance education, public access, vegetation management and trail use on a five-acre parcel along the Russian River.

Sonoma County Board of Supervisors Chair Valerie Brown said the grant program “directly responds to the community's expressed desire for connections to and from urban and natural areas and opportunities to enhance recreation projects that serve many families and citizens in our county. It's gratifying to be able to provide funding assistance to very tangible projects the community can enjoy.”

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