A park of their own

By ANDREA GRANAHAN / West County Correspondent

It was clear to the Graton Fire District in 2008 that Homeland Security money would make it possible to build a badly needed new fire station at a larger location. That would empty the building that has served as a train station, a gas station and finally a fire station, and abandon the parcel that holds it.

For HolLynn D’Lil, who served on the district’s citizens advisory committee, the change created a vision.

“Graton needs a park, a place to gather,” she said. She could envision the gravel and concrete parking area as a grassy green, and the old parking bays as a shade pavilion. The enclosed part of the building could be leased out to an appropriate small business such as a bicycle shop. The less than half-acre parcel could be transformed.

Graton would finally have a park where locals could gather, children could play and the cyclists who used the adjacent bike trail could rest.

D’Lil got to work and formed the Graton Green Group, making it a legal non-profit. Her vision was infectious, and soon the entire town caught it, including Robyn Bramhall, a long time Graton resident who enlisted in the cause.

The first public meeting in 2009 drew a surprising crowd of well over 60 from a town of 645 households, the vast majority in enthusiastic support for the project. A survey in Spanish and English that was delivered to 500 homes was returned by more than 100, far exceeding the one percent return usually expected from mailed surveys.

Nine people raised concerns about the design that D’Lil’s group is addressing. Eighty-five people have volunteered to help create the park and plantings, and materials have been pledged.

“The property has served the public good for over 100 years, and it can still be a benefit to the community,” D’Lil said. “There is no place to meet in Graton that is public and free.

“Water fountains and public restrooms would benefit the bicyclists and other visitors as well as locals. It would be an enhancement for the entire county.”

Graton Green Group focused entirely on the park project and got to work, starting a brick sponsorship that raised $17,000.

The architecture firm of Persinger in Sebastopol made a competing $405,000 offer on the site, intending to build office space. This has not deterred the garden group.

“Our biggest crunch is convincing the fire district that this project includes the public good,” D’Lil said. “The issue is a standing agenda item for the fire district’s board, and the board has allowed the group to put up a sign on the property.”

Graton GreenGroup is already addressing the money issue. It is seeking a five-year lease option on the property and has begun enlisting pledges of $10 a month for five years to make the payments.

“There are grants out there,” said Bramhall. “Altogether we need about a million dollars.”

“We have a great model in Forestville’s Youth Park,” said D’Lil. “It’s owned entirely by the town.”

It’s a big dream for a small town, but D’Lil is Graton’s secret weapon. She is tireless and doesn’t even seem to notice she is in a wheelchair. Under her leadership, the group has designed a seven-stage plan for the garden. It starts with obtaining the lease option and goes on to obtain engineering for drainage and curbs. Every step is mapped out and priced.

Concerns about environmental clean-up have been addressed by the district and the group, which had the property inspected.

“The engineer said it is safe for children,” said Bramhall. “And our park design will not involve digging more than two feet for plantings. Construction needing excavation more than six feet would require special permits. The firm concluded that a park is an excellent use of the space.”

County planners at the Permit Resources Management Department have concurred that a park is an appropriate use.

Public concerns about abuse of the park by drug dealers and other unsavory people have also been addressed by the design.

“No structure will be over three feet high, and we will establish a clean line of sight for the entire park so there will be no hiding places,” said D’Lil. “Another need we addressed was adding a covered bus stop because currently, if it’s raining, people using the bus to Sebastopol have to stand in the rain.”

The GratonGreen Group is responding to public input, and Bramhall has devoted countless hours to that due diligence.

She said, “One of the things I really like about working with HolLynn is that she is driven and determined, but, also she listens.”

Related Posts

1. Teens cited for pot, tobacco in Ives Park
2. Park Side School Goes International
3. Burning Man and the Easel Park