An Opportunity to Build Community
11/15/2021 Update: the final survey is live. Click one of the links below to vote for your favorite name - Pueblo Play (described below) made the list. Survey link (English version): https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DMF3BDBSurvey link (Spanish version): https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VZLZFTX 10/15/2021 - Original Post: I was trying to ignore the notices from the city asking to complete a survey to name… Continue reading Call It Pueblo Play
[Note: This email is response to a 11/20/20 email from Vice Mayor Jones' office to clarify concerns about the Payne Park] What follows is rather lengthy, because we have spent a lot of time thinking about the park and the process that was used to determine the plan. Reviewing these documents and links should provide… Continue reading A Process that Led to a Disheartening Outcome
With as many as 27 spaces in phase 2 of its plan, it appears as if PRNS is planning for a parking lot and not a park at 3257 Payne Avenue. Even in phase 1, which does not have a community center, 19 parking spaces are dedicated to automobiles and not open space for people.… Continue reading Is It a Park or a Parking Lot?
Unlike 81% of the City of San Jose's 283 playgrounds that will reportedly exceed their respective useful lifetime in 2020, the Sharks playground at 3257 Payne Avenue is in great shape and has many years of life left.
This article provides the facts regarding the concrete footings that secure the Sharks' playground at 3257 Payne Avenue. Despite what was argued in the 10/27/20 council meeting, these footings exceed the City of San Jose specification. This would not have been a discussion point, if either PRNS or the Vice Mayor's office had followed through on promises and/or answered queries from their constituents.
Regarding the September 2nd, 2020 Parks Commission meeting, Item VII-A, the park at 3257 Payne and the subsequent recommendation to City Council, WNAC data suggests a different conclusion than what PRNS suggested. The WNAC has been deeply involved with the community on this property and it is in the heart of the WNAC area. Simply,… Continue reading Survey Says – Keep the Sharks Playground, Open Space & Community Services Today
This was an email sent to the City Clerk and all the Council on 10/26/20 where Kaboom! confirmed that the concrete exceeded city specifications and SHOULD NOT be a reason to demolish the Sharks' Playground.
It was an honor, but a bit confusing, to receive a San Jose Champion award in May 2019. It still is a mystery, as the award seemed to recognize work that was really a team effort which dated back to 2014. The focus should have been on the team, which included Maria Veliz and Ramona… Continue reading The Real Community Champion – Maria Veliz & Team
This video is from approximately 1:15:39 to 1:23:45 of the 9/2/20 Parks' Commission meeting. It discusses the viability of the Sharks' Playground in the new park.
The start of this video is the end of the presentation by PRNS at the September 2nd, 2020 Parks Commission meeting regarding the future of the park. There are important questions that have not been addressed.
The D1 Leadership Group respectfully asks the Council to defer and reexamine the proposed Park Master Plan at 3257 Payne Avenue. There are many valid points made by community members as to why this plan should be deferred and reexamined and we request that you carefully consider those recommendations. This letter will focus on one… Continue reading D1LG Board Members – A $30M Community Center Doesn’t Make Sense in a Neighborhood Park
What would it cost to refurbish the social hall at the new park at 3257 Payne Avenue? We don't know as PRNS provides no evidence as to what it would cost. Constructed in 1989 and comparable in size to the Starbird Community Center, it features a kitchen, an office space, and a great room. Until 2017, it served as a community center of sorts.
We ask that the Council DELAY a vote on PRNS’s plan for the park at 3257 Payne Avenue. We ask for this delay due to poor community communication on meetings (e.g., adjacent park neighbors never noticed), significant community disconnect on current design, important information brought out at the January 2020 to the Parks Dept wasn’t… Continue reading WNAC – Delay Vote – Reexamine the Plan with “Lighter, Quicker, cheaper” Approach
The above video provides a brief history of the community-built playground at what used to be Zion Lutheran Church and then Pueblo de Dios. It was commonly known as Pueblo Play and sometimes the Sharks' playground, as it was the San Jose Sharks Foundation that was the catalyst and the major funding partner.
“Who knows what the future holds for that park. It might be 25-years before a community center is built.”San Jose Vice Mayor Chappie Jones at the 9/26/20 D1 Leadership Group meeting https://youtu.be/gK-lvcvz3iA?rel=0 Why should we have to wait 10, 15, maybe 25-years for the community services promised in phase 2 of the plan for the… Continue reading Why Should We Have to Wait for the Community Services?
https://youtu.be/bQZvdYFS80I Ken introduces the videos that serve as his comments. These videos aren't included above. They can be found at the following link. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list... 00:39 - The Vice Mayor expresses his appreciation for the community's engagement and dedication to the park. 02:10 - Bob doesn't think there is much of a need for a community… Continue reading Park Highlights from 09/26/20 D1LG Meeting
https://youtu.be/IsYe2LGzQEQ?rel=0 Phase 1 of the PRNS plan for the park at 3257 Payne (aka Pueblo Play) will demolish the church buildings the preschool & its playground the community-built, Sharks' playground New additions include a playground (next to the fence on the Eden-side of the property) a gazebo exercise equipment a walking path a basketball court… Continue reading Parks Commission Approved Plan for the Park at 3257 Payne
https://youtu.be/_J0zYedw610?rel=0 The above video describes some of the process shortcomings for planning of the park at 3257 Payne Avenue, as outlined below: There was no analysis of the "market". That is, who will be served today and tomorrow. All the meetings were held off-site, in Campbell, and not at the playground. Neighbors adjacent to the… Continue reading Process Shortcomings for Planning the Park at 3257 Payne Avenue
https://youtu.be/w0yLXu3uXgA?rel=0 The above video summarizes why we believe there are no code or standards issues preventing the community-built, Sharks' playground from being the centerpiece of the new park at 3257 Payne Avenue.¹ Highlights include Footings are engineered and not determined by city code. The city approved the plans in 2014 for the Sharks' playground. Phase… Continue reading And About That Community-Built, Sharks’ Playground at the Park at 3257 Payne Avenue
https://youtu.be/6OFyAZMJWNo Is there a way to build around the Sharks' playground and still accommodate a future community center at the park at 3257 Payne Avenue, commonly referred to as Pueblo Play? This crude video and drawings suggest the answer is yes. Another criticism of PRNS' proposal, not addressed in the above video, is that they… Continue reading An Alternative Park Layout that Builds on the Community-Built, Sharks’ Playground.
https://youtu.be/dWnL1wsO5nM The Sharks' playground, which is a feature of San Jose's park at 3257 Payne (aka Pueblo Play), will be demolished based on PRNS' plan to be presented to the Parks Commission on 9/2/20. This video provides a closer look at the current condition of the playground, as well as an overview of the rest… Continue reading The Sharks’ Playground as a Centerpiece of a New Park
At this meeting we left thinking that the design could accommodate and build around the Sharks' playground. There was a lot of other good feedback, including pretty strong arguments that a crosswalk at Lexington or Essex could be justified under Federal Highway Administration guidelines. Read more at this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nXuV9PQCnJd3AtzMqlt5xdOLlpgUJTpJ/view?usp=sharing
https://youtu.be/gT8Klnxj5_E?rel=0 This video provides some ideas for improving the plan for the park at 3257 Payne that was presented by the San Jose Parks Recreation Neighborhood Services at the 1/30/2020 community meeting. Video highlights include 00:13 - Add a crosswalk 00:27 - Turn the community garden 90 degrees to improve truck access 00:34 -… Continue reading Ideas for Improvements to the PRNS Plan for the Park at 3257 Payne
https://youtu.be/CoqTf8vjGXc?rel=0 This is a brief summary of phase 1 of PRNS's plan to create a park at 3257 Payne Avenue, commonly known as Pueblo Play. This is the third community meeting they held. No estimated costs were provided for Phase 1. In summary, Phase 1 removes the community-built, Sharks playground removes the playground behind the… Continue reading Review of PRNS 1/30/20 Phase 1 Plan for Pueblo Play
https://youtu.be/FPIVkBOyRlo?rel=0 There isn't much detail for the phase 2 plan for the park at 3257 Payne (aka, Pueblo Play). The major addition is a community center, with an estimated cost of $30M and additional parking (up to 28 spaces) and removal of several items that were installed in Phase 1. It was emphasized that a… Continue reading 1/30/20 PRNS’ Proposal for Phase 2
https://youtu.be/JXK3HiWHnp4?rel=0 Over 30 people attended community day at the park at 3257 Payne Avenue (aka Pueblo Play or the Sharks' Park). The Winchester Neighborhood Action Coalition led this effort. A big shout out to AMI preschool for food donations and for organizing activities for the kids (as well as letting some of the little ones… Continue reading October 2019 Community Day – Discussions of the Near & Long Term Future for the New Park
This post represents the summary recommendations from a group of community members regarding the short and long-term plan [Added 11/24 - here is what has been submitted by PRNS to the Parks Commission for its December meeting (PDF)] for the park at 3257 Payne, referred to on this website as Pueblo Play. To see the full… Continue reading Recommendations Regarding the PRNS Plan for Pueblo Play
Click on the title, above, to read about and watch the video of the community tree planting and learn how you can help water this new greenery at San Jose's newest park, aka Pueblo Play.
First, I’m extremely grateful and happy to have a park brought into our neighborhood. We live between Winchester Blvd and San Tomas Exp. And there is literally no open space here. Thank you. My concern I that the plan being submitted to you is based on the premise that sometime in the future the city… Continue reading Open It Up & Make It Look Like a Park
Would the Parks Commissioners changed their vote had they know certain critical pieces of information at the 9/2/20 Parks Commission meeting on the topic of Pueblo Play?
Honorable Mayor and Councilmembers, As a 20-year resident who came from the South Bronx NY, as a single mother to raise four children in this neighborhood of the Cadillac-Winchester, to give them a better and healthier life. I did not only had work to support my family, but I got involved in many different non-profit… Continue reading Let’s Keep the Shark Park
The Pueblo Play Playground 