Oakland, CA - Today, City of Oakland officials and community members celebrated the successful completion of a project that has renovated and beautified nine mini parks in historically underserved neighborhoods throughout Oakland:
- 88th Avenue Mini Park (1803 88th Avenue)
- Cesar Chavez Mini Park (1800 38th Avenue)
- Eula Brinson Mini Park (1712 85th Avenue)
- Gwen Jackson Mini Park (3042 Nicol Avenue)
- Lazear Mini Park (850 29th Avenue)
- McClymonds Mini Park (2528 Linden Street)
- Morgan Plaza (2601 Highland Avenue)
- Tomás Melero-Smith Mini Park (1461 65th Avenue)
- Vantage Point Park (1198 13th Avenue)
The $5 million project was fully funded by Caltrans’ Clean California local grant program, which supports projects that beautify and improve streets, parks and other public spaces. The revitalized parks now feature resurfaced play areas, upgraded site furniture, barbeque pits, water fountains, and animal-proof trash receptacles. Six of the parks have been enhanced with colorful new play equipment. New landscaping and shade trees provide a cooler and more comfortable environment, while improved lighting, fencing, and gates enhance security for visitors.
The mini parks were previously plagued by graffiti, vandalism, vegetation overgrowth, and litter. In some cases, play equipment was no longer safe or functional, and the sites suffered from a lack of basic amenities like seating and water fountains. Many of the neglected parks had become hotspots for illegal activity, discouraging community use.
Oakland Public Works and Oakland Parks, Recreation & Youth Development (OPRYD) celebrated the completion of the project with a ribbon-cutting at Tomás Melero-Smith Mini Park, one of the nine updated mini parks. The Oakland Public Library, in partnership with Eat. Learn. Play., unveiled a new Little Town Library, a significant step toward fostering literacy and learning in the community, providing access to new books for children and families.
“I’m thrilled to welcome families across Oakland back into their local neighborhood mini parks, said Oakland Interim Mayor and District 6 Councilmember Kevin Jenkins. “Our kids and communities thrive when they have safe and inviting places to gather and play. I am grateful to our partners at Caltrans for their generous support of this project and am delighted to be celebrating here in my home district at Tomás Melero-Smith Park.”
“These nine beautifully renovated playgrounds are a testament to the excellence of our City staff, who continue to deliver for the Oakland community every day,” Oakland City Administrator Jestin Johnson said. “I am grateful to the Oakland Public Works team for their commitment to building and maintaining public spaces we can all be proud of, and to the OPRYD team for bringing these spaces to life with enriching activities for our kids.”
Tomás Melero-Smith Park, where the ribbon-cutting was held, is named in honor of an Oakland community member who was tragically killed in 2007 at the age of 19 by a gunman who mistook him for a rival gang member. Melero-Smith was a youth recreation leader for the City of Oakland at Carmen Flores Community Center in Fruitvale. He frequently volunteered in his community and was not affiliated with any gang. His sister Marcelina Sanchez, herself a 30 year employee of the Oakland Parks Recreation & Youth Development Department, spoke during the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“I believe true peace begins in the hearts of our children,” said Marcelina Sanchez, OPRYD Recreation Supervisor and sister of Tomás Melero-Smith. “By renovating Tomás’ park and creating safe spaces for kids to play, learn, and grow, we are building a foundation of hope and unity for Oakland. This project holds a special tribute to Tomás’ legacy, ensuring that every child has a place to feel safe while recreating. We are deeply grateful to all who helped bring this vision to life, and to all who continue to nurture the future of our youth. Our city needs more attention and care to revitalize our parks and open spaces where families can come together and build lasting memories. It is in these spaces that the heart of our community truly thrives.”
Tomás Melero-Smith Peace and Unity Park playground was originally built in 2008 thanks to a joint effort involving Melero-Smith’s family, then District 6 Oakland City Councilmember Desley Brooks, the Chrysler Foundation and KaBOOM!, a national non-profit that refurbishes parks.
“It takes a community to build and steward public spaces we can all enjoy,” said Interim Director of Oakland Public Works and OakDOT Director, Josh Rowan. “I am proud of our Capital Improvement Program team for working with neighbors to thoughtfully incorporate community feedback into the design of these parks, and to our design team Dillingham Associates and contractors, Beliveau Engineering Contractors, Native Soils, G&G Builders and Gametime for their excellent work. Even seemingly minor design details like a high-quality trash can or carefully placed shade tree can make a park cleaner and more inviting, so it can become a vibrant site for community life.”
“Every city park, however large or small, is a vital resource for the community it serves” said Oakland Parks, Recreation and Youth Development Director, Fred Kelley. “OPRYD is committed to giving young people in every Oakland neighborhood opportunities to play, connect with neighbors, and enjoy nature. Parks play an important role in advancing public health and violence prevention, and this project helps us do just that. We look forward to hosting kids and families at events in all our beautiful parks this summer.”
By transforming these nine parks, Oakland is expanding access to high-quality recreational spaces in historically underserved neighborhoods, fostering stronger community connections, and enhancing the city’s green spaces for future generations.
# # #