Volunteers survey Oakland’s parks, amidst ongoing challenges
on October 4, 2016
On Saturday, volunteers and park stewards gathered for the 11th annual Love Your Parks Day, conducting a survey to inspect the conditions of more than 110 Oakland parks. The data from all the surveys will be presented in February into the Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation’s (OPRF) annual report to the city council’s Public Works Committee on park conditions.
In 2003, the foundation conducted its first survey. The results of the report described deteriorating park conditions, which they attributed in large part to the loss of skilled gardeners. According to that report, the public works staff had concentrated more of their budget on less-costly part-time positions called “park attendants” who are relatively unskilled—they acquire skills on the job but they are hired for only a portion of the year and some do not return.
The foundation has identified two new challenges emerging in many Oakland parks. As they state in the 2015 report, “four years of drought have taken a harsh toll on the landscaping of countless parks, and a dramatic increase in homeless encampments has rendered many of our parks unsuitable and unsafe for citizens’ use.”
While the reports project all these grim results, volunteers continue their efforts every year to improve the conditions of all Oakland parks. “I hope it’s going to open people’s eyes,” said Susan Nguyen, one of the young volunteers referring to the annual report. “Because it’s sad, some of these places I didn’t even know they were parks.”
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- An Huynh and Susan Nguyen, 16, inspect the Chinese Garden Park in Oakland to survey for existing problems as part of Love Your Parks Day on Saturday, October 1, 2016. The survey ratings are charted and comments are evaluated for an end of the year report given to the Oakland City Council and a powerpoint is presented to the Public Works Committee. (Yesica Prado/Oakland North)
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- An Huynh compiles information on the damages done to the Chinese Garden Park on Saturday, October 1, 2016. (Yesica Prado/Oakland North)
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- A mattress lays along the fence of the Chinese Garden Park in Oakland on Saturday, October 1, 2016. The Chinese Garden Park serves as a homeless encampment and is sorrounded by six visible tents as well as stray cats. (Yesica Prado/Oakland North)
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- A stay cat hides inside a Frosted Flakes cereal box at the Chinese Garden Park on Saturday, October 1, 2016. Trash and feces are a common sight on the park, luring in stray cats in search for food. (Yesica Prado/Oakland North)
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- A homeless man walks towards a tent in a encampment behind the Chinese Garden Park in Oakland on Saturday, October 1, 2016. (Yesica Prado/Oakland North)
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- Madison Square park sign on Saturday, October 1, 2016. The park was originally built in the next block over between Madison and Oak Streets. In the 1960s, the park was moved for the construction of BART headquarters and numerous residents were displaced around Chinatown. The BART headquarters building did not last. In 2004, BART moved its headquarters to the Kaiser Center and in 2006, the building was demolished after being declared unsafe in the event of an earthquake. (Yesica Prado/Oakland North)
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- Susan Nguyen, left, and An Huynh, right, inspect the children’s playground for damages and safety hazards at Madison Square Park in Oakland on Saturday, October 1, 2016. (Yesica Prado/Oakland North)
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- Chinatown residents practice Qi Gong at Madison Square Park In Oakland on Saturday, October 1, 2016. The park is used for a variety of activities: Qi Gong, Tai Chi, Sword/Fan Dance, Taiwanese Dance, Line Dance, Stretching and Badminton. Many of the participants are older residents of Chinatown. (Yesica Prado/Oakland North)
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- A homeless man searches through his belongings at Madison Square Park on Saturday, October 1, 2016. Similarly to other parks in Chinatown, Madison Square has also become the home of many homeless people in the area, taking over the park’s facilities such as playgrounds and picnic tables. (Yesica Prado/Oakland North)
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- Susan Nguyen takes a picture of the damaged grass at Madison Square Park in Oakland on Saturday, October 1, 2016. Nguyen attends Alameda High School and consistently volunteers in service learning projects, hoping to break the community hours record of the standard 20 hours requirement at her school. Nguyen uses the photos to upload on an app called “SeeClickFix,” which is used to report non-emergency issues in Oakland. The app is available for use along other cities in the Bay Area such as San Francisco, Berkeley and Alameda among others. The SeeClickFix creators hope to encourage residents to become active citizens in taking care of and improving their city. (Yesica Prado/Oakland North)
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- The belongings of the homeless are laid out on a picnic table at Madison Square Park on Saturday, October 1, 2016. Similarly to other parks in Chinatown, Madison Square has also become the home of many homeless people in the area, taking over the park’s facilities. (Yesica Prado/Oakland North)
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- An Huynh, left, and Susan Nguyen, right, discuss the needed repairs of the park at Madison Square Park on Saturday, October 1, 2016. Hyunh and Nguyen enjoy volunteering in the community and attend to community service learning events every other Saturday with other classmates. (Yesica Prado/Oakland North)
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- A playground is shut down for unsafe slides at Lincoln Square Park in Oakland on Saturday, October 1, 2016. The junk boat playground was last renovated in 2003 and these–now broken, slides were added to the orginal design. The park is one of the busiest in Chinatown as it also serves as the home of the Lincoln Square Recreational Center, hosting many activities such as painting classes, choir, calligraphy, tai chi sword fighting, sports, among many others that are enjoyed by the local residents. (Yesica Prado/Oakland North)
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