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With the wet and cloudy skies of recent weeks set to soon give way to sunnier, warmer weather with the dawn of spring, many people are ready to take advantage and get back to enjoying the great outdoors.
Pleasanton has plenty to offer when it comes to public parks and trails, and the catalog continues to grow and improve.
One of the most marquee additions came online just days ago, when local and regional leaders joined together to formally dedicate the new Castleridge Trailhead that provides a new access point for the northern part of the Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park.
“We are thrilled to open this new trailhead to the public, which will allow additional access to this popular and scenic park. It also allows us to connect wildlife corridors and protect natural resources,” said Ayn Wieskamp, Pleasanton’s representative on the East Bay Regional Park District Board of Directors.
The new Pleasanton Ridge trailhead, a joint effort between East Bay Parks and the city of Pleasanton, is among a variety of projects already underway or in the queue for later in the year to enhance public parks and trails — and increase their use by residents — throughout the community.
“Parks and trails connect our community to the beautiful natural resources that surround us; they provide for opportunities for health, fitness and fun; and offer a place for the community to gather in safe, open and enjoyable spaces,” said Heidi Murphy, the city’s interim community services director.
Castleridge Trailhead
Rising above the west side of town, the Ridge is one of the most well-recognized — and well-loved — natural features Pleasanton has to offer.
And a good portion of it is public land.
East Bay Parks manages 5,271 acres in its Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park, which includes a trail network that connects to the Augustin Bernal Community Park, the city’s 237-acre public tract on the Pleasanton Ridge.
The Castleridge property became part of the East Bay Parks’ Pleasanton Ridge catalog in 2014. The district purchased the 231 acres that year for $2.2 million, using a $1 million grant through the Alameda County Altamont Landfill and Resource Facility Open Space Advisory Committee and matching funds from the district’s Measure WW.
The acreage offered additional public open space, lush scenery and key habitat for protected species such as the golden eagle, California red-legged frog and Alameda whipsnake, according to district officials.
But perhaps as pivotal was its location on the Ridge.
The Castleridge land, which now includes a multi-use public trail that extends from near Foothill Road all the way up to the northern ridgeline, provided local leaders the chance to give residents better access to a previously underserved area of the regional park.
The city and East Bay Parks formally agreed to join forces almost two years ago on that access-point project, a new trailhead that opened to the public this month along recently renovated Old Foothill Road.
“Pleasanton Ridge is a long, linear park, and until now, the only district access points have been from the southern part of the park,” East Bay Parks General Manager Robert E. Doyle said ahead of the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new trailhead March 10. “So adding this additional public entry point is significant.”
Tri-Valley Assemblywoman Catharine Baker was among the elected officials onhand for the grand-opening.
“As a family of avid hikers who enjoy our local parks and trails almost every weekend, I am thrilled to see the Castleridge Trailhead open,” Baker said. “The trail provides one more way for us to get away from the concrete and walls we work and live in, and rejuvenate through our beautiful surroundings. I am pleased to fight for parks funding to support trails like this.”
Though located on city property, East Bay Parks built the key trailhead features including an accessible restroom, drinking fountain, signage, informational kiosk, fencing, bike rack and new oak tree plantings.
The city completed the public parking, which consists of about 50 spots along Old Foothill Road on either side of the trailhead. As part of the project, Old Foothill was repaved and restriped to convert it into a one-way, single-lane street running southbound — with the parking spaces parallel to the road.
The agreement between the two agencies also calls for a second trailhead about a mile to the north, to be called the Garms Staging Area.
Another positive characteristic of the new Castleridge Trailhead, from the city’s perspective, is that it’s located yards away from Alviso Adobe Community Park, meaning more people might be introduced to the history-rich public park that city officials have been striving to increase awareness of.
“The city expects that there will be people hiking the Castleridge Trail that were not aware of, or familiar with, the Alviso Adobe, so more interest is likely to be generated for the Alviso Adobe due to the trail,” city landscape architect Matt Gruber said.
Harding Park
Several improvement projects are going on at city parks across Pleasanton, and a handful of others are on the schedule to start later this year.
Harding Park, the city’s 35th and newest neighborhood park, is due to open next month.
Located at 5801 Gibraltar Drive near two new apartment complexes next to the Dublin-Pleasanton BART station and Hacienda, respectively, Harding Park features two playgrounds (one for smaller kids, 2-5 years old, and the other for older kids) along with a couple picnic tables, benches, water fountains and a small grass area.
“Harding Park will provide a location for local residents to go to play on the two playgrounds, have a picnic or birthday party, relax and meet other neighbors,” Gruber said. “Parks, such as Harding Park, provide a location for the neighborhood to gather, establish neighborly relations and a sense of community.”
The small neighborhood park is being constructed by Essex Property Trust, Inc., the developer of The Galloway at Hacienda and The Galloway at Owens apartment projects. The parkland will be dedicated to the city after opening and then maintained by the Parks Division.
Parks and other public amenities are often key aspects of larger-scale residential developments.
Neighborhood parks like Harding Park are generally 10 acres or less and designed to address the daily recreation needs of the surrounding neighborhood, according to Gruber.
Community parks are 10 acres or more and provide active recreational opportunities for Pleasanton residents at-large, Gruber added. There are 10 in Pleasanton, some of the most recognizable parks in the city such as Ken Mercer Sports Park, Bernal, Val Vista, Amador Valley and Centennial. (Augustin Bernal and Alviso Adobe are also on that list.)
The city had improvements for both types of parks on the docket coming into 2018.
It started early, with the January opening of the two new lighted tennis courts at Tennis and Community Park at the intersection of Valley Avenue and Hopyard Road.
Two new playgrounds are on track to open in the next few weeks at neighborhood parks: one at Oakhill Park at 4100 Muirwood Drive (a playground for 2-5-year-olds) and the other at Mission Hills Park at 600 Junipero St. (for 5-12-year-olds), according to Gruber.
The nearly mile-long center section of Old Vineyard Avenue Trail, from Vineyard Terrace to Heinz Ranch Court/Mingoia Street, is set to open this spring, and scheduled for later in the year are the parking lot expansion at Cubby’s Dog Park and the locker room renovations at Dolores Bengtson Aquatic Center, he added.
Other parks and facilities projects in the planning phase this year include Phase 3 of Pioneer Cemetery improvements, renovations at Wayside and Delucchi parks downtown, the addition of a playground and restroom at Valley Trails Park and a master plan for the Century House, Gruber said. The city’s draft Trails Master Plan is also due out next month.
Trails programs
Community leaders have been working to increase use of public trails in Pleasanton and around the Tri-Valley this winter, with an eye on getting more people out there on their bicycles during the spring, summer and fall.
Visit Tri-Valley, the Tourism Business Improvement District formed among Tri-Valley communities (except San Ramon), has partnered with startup My City Bikes to offer a set of self-guided bicycle tours to help visitors and residents access the area’s best local attractions on two wheels.
They have mapped out an 18-mile combo tour for Pleasanton and Dublin. It starts and ends in downtown Pleasanton, offering a loop route on local trails like the Iron Horse as well as city streets, with stops at historical sites, shopping, restaurants and public outdoor spaces.
There are also a 27-mile tour of Livermore wine country that starts and ends in downtown Livermore and a 13-mile tour in Danville that includes the town, Blackhawk and the Iron Horse Regional Trail.
The interactive digital maps and turn-by-turn directions are available online at visittrivalley.com/activities/bike-trails.
And speaking of the Iron Horse Trail, East Bay Parks recently started a pilot program for bicyclists who use the trail — and three others in the district’s network — for commuting.
The trails are closed from generally dusk to dawn for safety and security reasons, but the district is now testing an after-hours permit program for cyclists who use the Iron Horse, Alameda Creek, Delta de Anza or Temescal-Landvale Station trails as part of their regular commute route.
“This pilot program is a way to provide access to the trails to people who commute in the evening hours and get an idea of how much demand there is for this type of program,” East Bay Parks Board President Dennis Waespi said in a statement. “The regional parks are an important part of the Bay Area’s green transportation network and help keep cars and congestion off the roads.”
Cyclists approved for the pilot program would be allowed on those trails up to two hours after the usual nighttime curfew and up to one hour before the typical morning opening time.
Specific safety precautions are required, including installing a forward-facing white bicycle light attached to the bike and a rear flashing red light. Helmets also must not have cracks or dents, and participants must provide officials with their preferred after-hours route for use in case of missing person reports.
“Keeping people, parks and trails safe is our No. 1 priority,” East Bay Parks police Capt. Lance Brede said. “The after-hours commuter bicycle permit pilot program is way for the district to provide additional off-hours access while maintaining the maximum safety possible for trail users and neighboring communities.”
Residents can apply for the one-year permit, with a $10 processing fee, by contacting the East Bay Parks’ Public Safety Records Office at (510) 690-6508 or records@ebparks.org.
