At the very heart of the Iron Triangle neighborhood in Richmond lies a small, community park called “Elm Playlot.”  Although 3,441 children, age 0-11, live within walking distance of this park (one of the only public play spaces available to them), Elm Playlot is almost always empty of children. Instead, it is overrun by graffiti, broken bottles, used condoms, hypodermic needles, gun casings and men who come there to hang out, drink, and train their pit bulls to fight. They have taken away this vital public space from children.

Experts agree: in order to develop into healthy human beings, children must have a place to play. Play is children’s how children learn: it’s their way to practice, over and over, the very skills they need (linguistic, physical, social, emotional/creative, and cognitive) in order to develop to their potential. As Dr. Joe Frost, professor emeritus at University of Texas said, “Playing is child’s work.”

It is interesting to note that Article 30, in the U.N.’s “Rights of a Child,” decrees that every child living on our planet is born with “the right to play.” Children living in Richmond’s Iron Triangle neighborhood are being denied this right because they can’t use Elm Playlot, their own neighborhood park, because it is dull, dirty, and dangerous.

We’re going to change this. We’re going to take back this potential neighborhood jewel and return it to its rightful owners: the children and families of Richmond.  And in doing so, we have a chance to create a park unlike any other. This new park can be a model for other city parks in low-income, under-served, minority neighborhoods.

Toody Maher

Founder / Director

(510) 215-5500  office

what will be different about this park?

We spent months researching this very question. From looking at examples of great parks and playgrounds from around the world, we identified 5 ELEMENTS that we will incorporate into the re-design of Elm Playlot.

First, at Elm Playlot, we’ll have a full-time “Park Host,”  –– a steward of the park who watches over Elm with the same love and care as a parent watches over a child. The Park Host will also function as the “Playworker” (standard practice in European countries) whose job is to create better, diverse, high-quality play opportunities that spark child development and make kids’ hearts, minds, and senses come alive. We will recruit, train and hire residents of the Iron Triangle to become Park Hosts.

Second, we’ll build a tall, beautiful, see-through, iron fence around the playlot with a single gate. The Park Host and families keep watch over the park during the day; the fence and residents’ eyes on the park keep the crime out at night. The Park Host will unlock and open the gate in the morning and close and lock it at night.

Third, this park will be built specifically to foster the individual development of young children. We will create a stimulating and ever-changing play environment that sparks a child’s linguistic, cognitive, social/emotional, physical, and creative skills and that makes kids minds’ go “b-i-n-g!”.

Fourth, we’ll support parents by providing basic, must-have amenities such as a clean bathroom, a comfortable place to sit, shade, running water, and healthy snacks.

Fifth, we’ll make Elm Playlot a community hub that connects residents with existing services. For instance, the city’s bookmobile can come to the park every Friday from 1-5.  We can close the streets that surround Elm Playlot on Saturday morning and have a farmer’s market. We can have a mobile health van visit our park each month to provide vaccines to children.  We can have Richmond’s para-transit shuttle seniors to and from the park where they can volunteer to run the snack bar or rake and clean the sand. These are the types of things that a Pogo Park at Elm Playlot can do.

WHERE WE ARE NOW:

working with the city of richmond

This city of Richmond fully supports this plan and is mobilizing to use the revitalization of this park as a catalyst to revitalize the surrounding community. Officials in the city government are amazing; there is a genuine “can do” spirit among key officials including the Mayor, City Manager, members of the city council, Parks Department, Recreation Department, Police Department, and the Community Redevelopment Agency to do something bold and different. Here’s what we are discussing doing with the city:

Originally, the City of Richmond’s Community Redevelopment Agency pledged 100% of the capital costs––roughly $400,000––to re-build Elm Playlot. However, in August 2009, the State of California raided the revenues of Redevelopment agencies across the State and the $400,000 pledged by Richmond’s Redevelopment Agency to re-build Elm Playlot suddenly vanished. 

We adapted quickly. With tremendous help from MIG in Berkeley, and in partnership with the City of Richmond, we submitted a grant application for $2.1 million in funding from California State Proposition 84. We stand an excellent chance of getting this grant; we hear in September 2010.  Meanwhile, we building in Stages.

In Stage 1 (happening now), we are racing to get into the park and begin our work. Our team decided on the minimum items needed: a perimeter fence + gate, a park office and storage container, benches, rubber under the play equipment, a sandbox, and “loose parts” (typically inexpensive, loose parts are items kids can use in play -- rocks, sticks, rope, fabric, blocks, cardboard boxes, shovels, cups, leaves, buttons etc.).

In Stage 2, we expect to receive the funding via Proposition 84 to upgrade the infrastructure of Elm Playlot (i.e. install a sewer line, water line, electrical service, build a new community center with a kitchen and bathroom, install a perimeter fence).

Across the street from Elm Playlot, there are a series of boarded-up, abandoned houses. These houses are magnets for crime. Richmond’s Redevelopment Agency (along with two nonprofit developers of affordable housing) are actively engaged in purchasing these homes, renovating them, and then re-selling them as affordable housing to resident families who have a vested interested in using and protecting this park.

collaborating with other agencies

Our organization, Pogo Park, is a member of Building Blocks for Kids (BBK), a collaborative of 27 agencies who serve children living in the Iron Triangle. Elm Playlot can be used as a hub to connect residents to existing services provided by one of our BBK partners. Pogo Park is also on the Steering Committee for The California Endowment’s, Healthy Richmond initiative: a $5-$15 million commitment, over 10 years, to change the “systems” that impact the health and well-being of Richmond’s under-served communities. Through this initiative, we have met the senior staff of many of Richmond’s leading nonprofit organizations and we continue to always look for ways to collaborate with other groups to maximize of collective impact.

raising support from local businesses

We’re working with SunPower, one of the world’s leading solar power companies, who has an office in Richmond. SunPower is considering Pogo Park as one of its long-term “signature” program partners. SunPower has pledged to provide both on-going support for Pogo Park and installation of solar equipment at the park, and at homes around the park. SunPower’s foundation is also interested in providing support to help highlight the transformational and educational potential our effort.

soliciting help from top-notch designers

We’re working with some of this country’s most far-out, imaginative, and forward-thinking designers to create this children’s park.  Almost all are either volunteers or are working at a reduced fee. This group includes top-notch playground designers, artist, poets, teachers, gardeners, designers of children museum exhibits, pediatricians, child development experts, architects, parents, and experts on play. 

gathering community input

Earlier, we did a community input process called “Photovoice;” 15 residents of the Triangle were given a camera and asked to take pictures of what they liked about their neighborhood, what they didn’t like, and what they wished to see. The results of this process were illuminating (see a sample of Photovoice by clicking here ) because they help us to see how the transformation of Elm Playlot can solve community concerns, foster community strengths, and actualize community desires.

Subsequently, we formed the Elm Playlot Action Committee (EPAC), a group comprised of residents of the Iron Triangle. This group has been meeting, virtually everyday, since March 2009. Details of this effort can be found by clicking on the following community input link. The transformation of this one block of public space can help to transform and improve the everyday quality life for its residents.

You can help us do what we do by donating what you can now. You can also help by sending this link––and an endorsement––to any other likely-minded friends, relatives, and neighbors who might be interested in supporting this pilot project. We cannot build this park without your help.