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Come to the community meeting Wednesday, July 30, 6-7:30 p.m., at the Joseph Lee Recreation Center, 1395 Mendell St.
by Jessie Booth
Hilltop Park, better known as Sundial Park, has seen better days. On a sunny summer afternoon, it sits virtually empty aside from the occasional neighbor passing through. Perched atop Hunters Point Hill, the park is overgrown and under-used. There simply hasn’t been any reason to go there for years.
Reminders of its heyday still exist, and the park’s potential as a destination for the neighborhood and the city are clear. The landmark 78-foot steel sundial reaches high above stately pine trees, concrete slides wind down the western slope of the park, and San Francisco’s very first skate bowl overlooks stunning views of the Bay. In its prime, the park was not only the neighborhood’s shared backyard, but its “very own Golden Gate Park,” according to a long-time neighbor – a place for rap concerts, Sunday barbeques and skating competitions.
The removal of the play structures in 2006 was a significant setback for Hilltop Park. The lack of amenities and maintenance made the park uninviting, which in turn made it less safe. It quickly lost its draw as a neighborhood gem and turned into a liability for the neighborhood.
It was the park’s great potential and the memories of how it used to be that prompted four women from the Bayview to form Parks 94124, an advocacy group for the neighborhood’s parks. When asked what drove Parks 94124’s formation, Maya Rodgers, one of the founders, recollects: “We started with parks because they create community. It doesn’t matter if you’re young or old, if you have money or no money – parks are for everyone. Parks are an equalizer.”
Beyond the day-to-day value that parks have as places for learning, play and exercise, the women saw Hilltop Park’s revitalization as a crucial step forward in overcoming the neighborhood’s stigma. Their vision is to make Hilltop and the neighborhood parks a destination for people within and outside the Bayview and to begin breaking down negative perceptions of the neighborhood.
It was the park’s great potential and the memories of how it used to be that prompted four women from the Bayview to form Parks 94124, an advocacy group for the neighborhood’s parks.
Parks 94124 partnered with The Trust for Public Land and the City of San Francisco’s Recreation and Parks Department to apply for funding to renovate the park. In 2010 the state of California awarded the project $5 million to move forward with park improvements.
Since its inception, this partnership has held numerous focus groups, community meetings and cleanup days in an effort to rally the community around the new project and gain insight into how people want to use the space. With this feedback, the project design is moving forward smoothly, with construction slated to begin in Spring 2015.
The updated park, designed by local landscape architecture firm Miller Co. with community input, will include astronomy-themed playgrounds with swings, climbable structures, and a water feature. In addition, visitors will enjoy a refurbished skate bowl, new picnic areas and even outdoor exercise equipment.
Access paths, lighting and visibility will be improved, making the park safer and easier to navigate. New planting beds and benches will make for contemplative places too, and highlight the natural beauty of the park’s surroundings. In addition, community meetings in the fall will decide what type of public art the community would like to see in the park.
Reclaiming Hilltop Park as a neighborhood destination has been a long time coming. Through dedicated local advocacy, an active community of neighbors and productive partnerships, this park will finally be seeing a new life in Bayview Hunters Point.
Reclaiming Hilltop Park as a neighborhood destination has been a long time coming. Through dedicated local advocacy, an active community of neighbors and productive partnerships, this park will finally be seeing a new life in Bayview Hunters Point.
There will be a community meeting on Wednesday, July 30, 6-7:30 p.m., at the Joseph Lee Recreation Center, 1395 Mendell St. For more information on Hilltop Park or the upcoming meeting, contact Trudy Garber at 415-800-5274 or Maya Rodgers at 415-606-6167.
Jessie Booth, who works with The Trust for Public Land, can be reached at Jessie.Booth@tpl.org.
