San Anselmo youths weigh in on Memorial Park upgrades
A town survey sought opinions from students at White Hill Middle School, San Domenico School and Archie Williams High School.
Comments from San Anselmo youths are guiding the planning efforts for upgrades at Memorial Park.
The town is working on a master plan update of its largest park. Recent surveys have polled the public about adding features and amending the plan, which has governed gradual improvements at the park since 2017.
Opened in 1926 at 1000 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., the 3.2-acre park includes sports fields, a playground, a garden, a skate park, a snack shack, tennis and basketball courts, grassy areas, a dog park, a picnic area, hiking access and restrooms.
The renovations are planned for the park’s west side in an area bound by Sunny Hills Drive and the snack shop, including the skate park and tennis court.
A first round of survey results was released to the commission in February. A second set of responses was discussed at a Parks and Recreation Commission meeting on Tuesday.
The latest survey involved students at White Hill Middle School, San Domenico School and Archie Williams High School.
Dannielle Mauk, director of community services, said the town heard from about 100 additional respondents.
“When we looked at the age groups that responded we didn’t get any responses from the youth,” Mauk said. “I think because the kids are the users of the park, and recreation provides so many activities to them, that it is so important to have their voice in trying to decide what kind of programs they want to see. They are dreamers and it is important to get their feedback.”
The youth results were largely in line with what adults expressed, such as new restrooms and shaded picnic areas, and a snack shack that could be centrally relocated. The town also is considering a multisport court for pickleball, volleyball, basketball and futsal.
The original survey garnered about 600 responses, one of the larger public responses for a parks and recreation survey, Mauk noted.
Commission chair Mike Cerio called the new results helpful.
“I am happy that we took the time to gather feedback from youth,” he said. “The park is for the people, so it’s really important that we get input from the community as to what they want.”
Cerio said the commission will review the design in about a month. An approved design will then go to the Town Council for review in the early summer.
The Town Council adopted a long-term master plan for the park in 2017 after an effort to turn it into a flood retention basin was defeated. In 2019, voters defeated a proposed tax measure that would have provided more than $8 million in funding for the renovations.
In 2020, officials renovated and expanded the Memorial Park skate park and repaved paths.
Field renovation was approved in 2021. The council estimated that improvements to the park at that point had cost about $675,000.
Renovations in progress include picnic area updates, the installation of a stormwater treatment bioretention area for runoff and path regrading between the restrooms and Alderney Road.