Palo Alto city leaders -- including Mayor Pat Burt and City Manager James Keene -- helped honor Midtown resident Charles Scott and his late wife, Jean, during a dedication ceremony Saturday at Greer Park.

It's been 40 years since the Scotts and other Midtown Palo Alto residents first fought an 1,800-unit residential development and convinced the city to create the park along West Bayshore Road instead. They've been involved in every phase of its development ever since.

Once a field of 6-foot-high weeds, the park now boasts playing fields, basketball courts, a skate park, children's playground, dog park and even a hard-fought-for restroom. The final 1.5 acres, Scott Meadow, was built this fall and was named in the couple's honor by the city and the Midtown Residents Association.

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■ 'Scott Meadow' named for Greer Park activists