Home Antioch Nov. 21: Ribbon Cutting Set for Antioch Park Make-Over

Nov. 21: Ribbon Cutting Set for Antioch Park Make-Over

by ECT

An Antioch neighborhood known for drugs, crime and violence (Sycamore) is getting a brand new playground, thanks to a grassroots group of parents and the City of Antioch who partnered to improve Contra Loma Estates Park. The parent advocates and representatives from the City of Antioch, including Mayor Harper and City Council members, will jointly host a special ribbon-cutting ceremony and community celebration to unveil the new park this Saturday.

The drive for the new playground began with the East County Regional Group, a parent advocacy group sponsored by First 5 Contra Costa, who first conducted in-depth rating assessments of every park in Antioch. Their findings revealed that parks located in the city’s lower-income communities were plagued by crime, graffiti or unsafe conditions that rendered these parks unusable by families, compared to the city’s newer neighborhoods.

The culmination of high crime and child poverty rates, along with its very low park rating, led the parents to select Contra Loma Estates as the park most in need of rehabilitation. They took their findings to the Antioch City Council, who given their ongoing efforts to improve safety in the Sycamore neighborhood, allocated $250,000 to renovate the park. The parents group worked with City staff to design the new play structure and will be partnering with the Antioch Police Department to address residents’ safety issues.

The renovated Contra Loma Estates Park includes:

  • A brand new play structure for toddlers and school-age children
  • Play structures designed for children of all abilities, such as children in wheel chairs or with other special needs
  • A foam floor which replaces sand that often contained needles, used condoms and glass

WHEN:
Saturday, November 21, 2015
10:00 a.m. to noon
Rain or Shine

WHERE:
Contra Loma Estates Park
2395 Manzanita Way (at Mahogany), Antioch

VISUALS/ACTIVITIES:
• Children and families enjoying the new playground and participating in races and arts and crafts
• A ribbon-cutting scheduled for 10:15-10:45am
• Speakers including:
– Mayor Harper (invited)
– Volunteer parents of the East County Regional Group
– Representatives from First 5 Contra Costa

WHY:
Physical outdoor play is important for children’s health and development, but not all children in Antioch have access to safe, usable parks and playgrounds. Crime, vandalism, and unsafe conditions have prevented families from enjoying Contra Loma Estates Park – until now. This is the first victory for this grassroots group of parents, who aim to increase children’s access to outdoor play by improving one East County park at a time.

BACKGROUND:
First 5 Contra Costa helps young children start school healthy, nurtured and ready to learn by investing in programs and activities focused on children during their first five years, the most important time in children’s development. Since 2000, First 5 Contra Costa has invested more than $120 million in Proposition 10 tobacco tax funds to help Contra Costa’s children get the best possible start in life. First 5 supports three Regional Groups of parents dedicated to making their communities healthier and safer for families. Learn more: www.first5coco.org.

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2 comments

Harry Balls Nov 20, 2015 - 2:43 pm

At 4:47 pm Thursday, Antioch Police responded to the 2300 block of Peppertree Way for an unresponsive male after a disturbance at the location.

Officers located a 69-year-old male who was transported to an area hospital where he is in critical condition. Was he on his way to the $250,000 park renovation?

RjB Nov 23, 2015 - 1:40 pm

$250k and in 2 years it will be a rundown piece of junk with needles and used condoms strewn about.

We should have invested that $250k on hiring a consultant to fix our crime issue.

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