September 18, 2013
Pogo Park’s EPAC team of local residents has begun to conduct extensive community outreach in the neighborhood that surrounds Harbour-8 Park. The EPAC team knocked on hundreds of doors of local homes and businesses, visited schools, churches, and other community organizations to inform the community about Harbour-8 Park – and solicit feedback. This community outreach helps us to design and build a park that best serves the needs of people who live in the neighborhood.
August 29, 2013
Pogo Park took 15 Richmond residents to Redding School of the Arts, a charter school known for its innovative children’s play and art programs. During our visit, adults and children alike lost themselves in the school’s cutting-edge play equipment, gaining inspiration and ideas that we look to bring back to the city parks of Richmond.
The playground’s main attraction was the 70-foot Berliner Speedway Zip Line, the only zip line of its kind in California. The zip line was a major hit with our group, and we are moving ahead with plans to install one at Elm Playlot.
September 12, 2013
In this picture, Antoine, a RichmondBuild graduate, pours cement into the base of Elm Playlot’s future Community Center.
Antoine is part of a construction team that is comprised of graduates of the City’s RichmondBuild program, an agency that provides local residents with training and jobs in construction. This team is now working to gut and transform Elm Playlot’s former Park Office into a community center for the new park.
Hiring former members of RichmondBuild to help renovate Elm Playlot is an example of Pogo Park’s intentional strategy to direct community development dollars back into the community. “Lifting up the people” at the same time we “lift up the place” is a core pillar of Pogo Park’s strategy for community transformation.
August 30, 2013
This week The State of California released its list of accepted proposals for the Strategic Growth Council’s Urban Greening Grant. The proposal submitted by Pogo Park, The City of Richmond, Groundwork Richmond and the Watershed Project made the list of proposals invited to submit full applications. Pogo Park’s proposal suggested greening for a mile-long segment of the Richmond Greenway that would link several already funded projects and would complete the restoration of the Richmond Greenway, finalizing this former rail corridor’s transformation into a community, transportation and ecological resource for decades to come.
August 5, 2013
As part of its rapid “Park Activation Program”, The Trust for Public Land (TPL) will provide $150,000 in support to help Pogo Park and the city of Richmond plan, design, and build a two-block section of the Richmond Greenway into Harbour-8 Park.
TPL will be provide both capital and technical support to help Pogo Park with the community involvement phase for this community design-build play area and garden project. Construction of Harbour-8 Park is scheduled to begin in 2014.
September 1, 2013
After five years of planning, construction is finally underway at Elm Playlot! The construction fence went up at Elm Playlot in September 2013; the new park will open in Spring 2014. In cooperation with the City of Richmond, Pogo Park will lead the community-build portion of the project, implementing our community-based approach to park and play area restorations.
July 31, 2013
To gather initial input from residents about how Elm Playlot could be transformed, Pogo Park used a community input process called “Photovoice” that utilizes the powerful combination of photos and recorded voices. In the summer of 2008, Pogo Park worked with a group of fifteen Iron Triangle residents (comprised of six African-Americans, eight Latinos and one Asian) for five weeks. Continue reading “Photovoice”
July 29, 2013
Art is an essential element of Pogo Park projects. It beautifies neighborhoods and creates a sense pride among residents. We view our projects as canvases for local artists to show their work and as a place for residents to share their culture. Continue reading “Public Art”
July 29, 2013
As part of the community design for Elm Play Lot and to help community members envision what their park would look like, Pogo Park helped residents measure Elm Play Lot and resolve on-site where the proposed park elements could go. Residents used this information to transfer their vision to paper and build a scale model of Elm Park. This model has been instrumental in gaining funding for the reconstruction of the park.
July 21, 2013
Organized to collect public opinion about the future of the Richmond Greenway for a State of California grant application, Pogo Park organized a consortium of local non-profits to stage a “Festival of Ideas.” For eight consecutive days, Pogo Park and its partners staffed tents located directly on the Richmond Greenway at strategic locations. Continue reading “Festival of Ideas – Richmond Greenway”
