Val Vista to open in grand style Val Vista to open in grand style (April 30, 2004)

Public invited to enjoy sports demonstrations and more
by Dolores Fox Ciardelli

Val Vista Community Park is reopening tomorrow, after being closed for almost two years while it was being turned from a 7-acre neighborhood park into a 24-acre "jewel" of a community park.

The public is invited to the dedication gala from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., which will include sports demonstrations, games, crafts, music, refreshments and a labyrinth presentation.

"Pleasanton has many beautiful parks, and Val Vista Community Park is the newest jewel among them," said Jim Wolfe, director of Parks and Community Services.

The new park has three tournament-size, all-weather soccer fields, and $500,000 for the fields and expanded park was donated by the Ballistic United Soccer Club.

"It is very unusual to have a nonprofit youth organization donate $500,000 to a project," Wolfe stated in 2002, when BUSC president Bob Mass presented the city with the check.

Other funding for the $7 million renovation came from the city and from State Park Bond Proposition 12.

"This project came to fruition through the collaborative hard work of community groups and citizens as well as the design and construction professionals who made it happen," said Wolfe. "I know they are proud of the results and are eager to introduce the community to all the park has to offer on May 1."

The park was designed by Tanaka Design Group, and Robert A. Bothman Group was the contractor.

The park will also feature an open turf meadow, public artwork by Ann Chamberlain, children's play apparatus and water-play areas, a climbing wall, an in-line skating facility and a roller hockey rink.

Chamberlain's artistic touches are incorporated throughout the new park, with the entire children's area being a "dise–o" or cultural map. A series of embellishments on some of bridges and rails is influenced by the topography of the valley, said Civic Arts Manager Andy Jorgensen.

"One of the things that really influenced Chamberlain was the physical geography of the valley and the area's agricultural heritage," said Jorgensen. "She was brought in fairly early in the process, she worked with the landscape architect to come up with ideas and they were incorporated into the park."

The in-line skating facility has been long awaited by enthusiasts who meanwhile vied for space at the skateboard track at the Pleasanton Sports Park.

Other features in Val Vista are picnic areas, a community garden with a labyrinth, lighted pathways and generous landscaping.

"We know Val Vista Community Park will be a very special place to both play and relax for years to come," said Wolfe.
Party at the new park

What: Dedication of Val Vista Community Park Features: Sports demonstrations, a labyrinth presentation, games, crafts, music and refreshments Where: 7350 Johnson Drive When: 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Saturday, May 1; actual dedication ceremony at 11 a.m. Admission: Free

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