Publication Date: Friday, December 30, 2005
Briones Park reopens
Briones Park reopens
(December 30, 2005) Renovation includes tributes to 19th-century landowner
by Sue Dremann
Juana Briones Park re-opened Dec. 23 after a six-month renovation, featuring new play equipment and tributes to the its 19th century namesake.
The facelift of the 4.1-acre, south Palo Alto open space was projected to cost about $439,000, according to a city estimate made at the start of the project.
As workers opened the fence surrounding the park last week, families flocked to the colorful new play equipment, Project Manager Kate Rooney of the city's Public Works Department said.
The park features the city's first climbing rock in a Palo Alto park -- a synthetic structure with hand and foot holds, located in the older children's area.
Juan Prada, 11 and Sam Rothstein, 7, perched on top of the rock recently.
"It's great fun," Prada said. "There are lots of fun things."
Rothstein's favorite playground piece is the rotating swing, part of the red-and-green climbing tower. Children stand on a hard plastic disk, suspended by a metal post, and rotate in circles.
Young children now have two tiny-tot swings, a spring seesaw and colorful HAGS play structures from Sweden, including climbing towers and slides.
Teri Scott and 18-month-old son Dylan tried out the seesaw. "He can go on the little-kid structures and I don't have to be on it with him. It's more interesting for children and adults," she said.
One park theme since 1969 -- trains -- has not changed. The park's old red wooden train, once scorched by vandals, has been replaced by a bright yellow model made of metal and plastic polymer, Rooney said. Two shade canopies keep the train cool in summer. Neighborhood residents picked out the new tunnel train and the play equipments' color scheme, she said.
In an effort to honor Juana Briones and her role as a pioneer, various elements of park are designed to reflect the "Old California style," Rooney said.
Purple-blossomed wisteria plants, once prominent at the Briones adobe, will grace the split-rail fences surrounding the park. Damask roses, the kind Briones' mother brought from the DeAnza expedition, and prickly-pear cactus from her estate have also been planted.
A commemorative garden includes a collection of medicinal herb plants used during Briones' time and a plaque dedicated to businesswoman, humanitarian and herbalist, donated by the Green Acres I and II, Palo Alto Orchards and Barron Park neighborhood associations. A 4-foot section of a 155-year-old oak tree was preserved by the Friends of the City of Palo Alto Parks and placed in the garden as well. Its rings are dated with events from Briones' life and the history of the area.
The land that Briones Park occupies used to be an apricot orchard -- one of the original apricot trees remains at the adjacent fire station -- and to honor that heritage, nearly 40 apricot trees were planted on Dec. 13. Neighborhood residents, who had raised the potted saplings since last March, wielded picks and spades under the guidance of park personnel and members of the nonprofit Canopy Trees for Palo Alto.
"It's one of the best things that have ever happened in our community," said Leila van Gelder, who came to plant a tree with her husband and son. "A fungus went through and decimated all of the apricot trees in my yard, so this is especially important."
Three generations of the Lythcott family also gathered to plant five trees.
"When these grow up, we're going to have a harvesting time," Sawyer Lythcott-Haims, age 6, said. "I was very excited when today came. I really like fresh apricots, so I wanted to plant them. When they get bigger, we can probably climb up the trees."
The family attached metal tags to branches, each written with a family member's name.
"We're excited to have a place in the park that we can see we all contributed to," Sawyer's mother, Julie, said of the tree planting. "We moved to Barron Park in 2000. We feel we are literally putting down roots here. Our family will have a place here permanently."
Staff Writer Sue Dremann can be e-mailed at sdremann@paweekly.com.
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