This week, community members gathered at Rancho Laguna Park in Moraga to rebuild the park’s playground.
Service groups such as the Lions Club, Kiwanis Club, Rotary Club and Boy Scout Troops 246, 212 and 234 were involved with the building. The build began Monday, and is scheduled to end this Saturday.
The original playground was removed in May 2011 due to concerns over structural safety due to wood rot.
The contract for the new structure was $97,000, and East Bay Regional Park District Measure WW grant funds funded $70,000 of the project. Some funding for the project also came from community fundraising.
Jay Ingram, director of Moraga Parks and Recreation and project coordinator, said that the town staff was extremely grateful to the community members who came out to help build the playground, and that the help from the community was saving the town somewhere between $18,000 and $20,000 in building costs.
Community member Jon Chambers said he thought that it was a terrific project, and it was great to see the sense of community that came about through the project.
There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the playground Saturday at 11:30 a.m.
Hearty congrats and many thanks to all involved in the resurrection! This represents a lot of hard, exacting work and my grandkids will be very pleased! Not to beat a dead horse, but I wish they'd stop their claims of "structural safety due to wood rot" in the old structure. It was constructed of coated steel, plastic and concrete just like the new one. The only wood used in the park with wood/earth contact issues was the old exercise/stretching grid. That structure had seen better days and needed replacement of wood rotted elements. Too bad they didn't see fit to put that one back up as many of us used it to stretch and lubricate our aging frames. Many moons ago when it appeared that extraterrestrials had beamed up the play and exercise structures, I offerred to pay for the materials to reconstruct the exercise grid. That offer still stands. The North side of the park is now empty of useful structures except for a few picnic tables. And they seem to have installed a new double gate in the cyclone fence on the North boundary. Hmmmm.... Why clear the entire area? Why an access gate to an accessible area? Perhaps there is a plan in place to fence off a section of park for, say, an off lead dog pen?
I did a little research into the old structure, and learned it was a Timberform structure made with plastic and coated steel. However, it was supported by wooden 6 x 6 posts cemented directly into the ground. It was installed in the mid 80's, and apparently the posts rotted over time. The new structure is coated steel, all the way into the concrete, so should hold up much better. The double gate entry was installed for public works vehicle access and maintenance. I've heard from lots of parents that wanted the different, age appropriate structures on the same side of the park, and near the restrooms, so siblings could play near each other, and parents could supervise their kids properly. Understand that the Park/Rec Commission heard this at community meetings. Think this explains why the train and station were moved to the south side. Agree that the north side is relatively open at this point. To the best of my knowledge, there are no set plans for this area yet. Not everything at RLP is about the dogs. Perhaps some new exercise equipment would be a great addition. Let's celebrate the new structure, and enjoy a positive development, at least for a few days.
In the modern world, where there is a law or regulation based on nearly every human foible, making changes to public entities requires a vetting so vast as to make even the simplest modification an opportunity for a Pandora's Box of opposing, similar or completely unrelated notions to raise their hungry voices. Traditions are simply one-time changes that stand the test of time because they serve most their users well, while garnering only small opposition. Given a little power, even the mildest, well-meaning sort may soon look to make his or her mark on their community. They usually do this by bucking a tradition. If it were possible to get to the very basic root of the initial impetus of unnecessary change, one usually will find many more things than a simple 'need' for change. It is so difficult to be a truly unselfish principled leader. Puffery soon trumps determination. RLP is just feeling the onset of the spin of a vortex that will drag her down the drain of disillusion and in a very short time she will be unrecognizable to those of us that love her sweet, simple serenity.
It would be nice to see something new on the other side of the park. Maybe a new exercise area reminiscent of the one that used to be there. Or maybe some tetherball. Or even a little doggie playground. Rancho Laguna remains my favorite park in Lamorinda despite all of the changes.
I like your tetherball suggestion. There are still many opportunities to make Rancho Laguna an even better park. I love it too!
Any plans to revive it, Jon?
I'm not a Town spokesman. I do try to read material on Town website, and in the About Town newsletter, which is usually very helpful.
But it's too late. The city council still has a decision to make and the options are two-fold and only two-fold; rescind the ordinance removing off-leash hours, or put a measure to the ballot. The end around by the Town Manager, who didn't even follow the Town Council's direction in how to solicit community input should put her on notice of perfomance improvement or termination.
Has anyone paid attention to Piedmont's Blair Park soccer squabble? They have private mega money available to build a monster soccer facility. But it happens to be on that city's last piece of available land (Think RLP). It is being stopped in its tracks by folks unwilling to pave paradise. What is this compulsion about soccer? Baseball is the American Pastime!
"If the play area and picnic areas are fenced, you have now fenced in everyone except off leash dogs and owners." Clearly this is not an option that accommodates ALL park users. Can you PLEASE explain why 1.9 acres of unrestricted off-leash area is not acceptable.