City of Davis and Davis Manor Community collaborate to renovate local park for residents
By ALMA CULVERWELL — city@theaggie.org
On April 23, the city of Davis unveiled the recently renovated N Street Mini Park, located at the south end of N Street. The park was built in 1960 and was renovated after the Davis Manor community reached out to the city. Prior to the recent construction, the park had not been renovated since 1996.
“The changes selected were [chosen for] a combination of versatility and accessibility for all users of the park and cost,” said Diana Jensen, the city’s director of public works engineering and transportation.
The idea to renovate the park was originally proposed by the residents of Davis Manor; they had hoped to make the park a more visible and engaging space to spend time in. The city conducted a survey in the fall of 2020 to get a sense of the residents’ preferences, and after holding several community outreach meetings the construction project’s details, along with final renderings, were presented to the Recreation and Park Commission in October 2020.
The city of Davis and the neighborhood planning committee collaborated on the vision for the upgraded park and the creative action team held over 30 meetings to create and review the final design.
“One of the neighbor proponents worked with a design group from UCD and the proposed design was a senior class project to develop some concepts for the neighborhood to discuss,” Jensen said.
The changes included replacing the old play structure, installing additional seating and lighting and replanting grass. More amenities were also added, including a small performance stage, picnic tables, a water fountain, a more efficient irrigation system and drought-tolerant landscaping.
“This park renovation is definitely an improved asset for this local neighborhood and for any other residents who wish to come and utilize the amenities,” Jensen said. “There will be a small stage and an art installation coming in the next few months that will also add to the project.”
Lorenzo Kristov, a Davis Manor Neighborhood Council board member, explained what he hopes will be the result of the construction.
“We will now have something that’s really beautiful to go to and we will have play structures that will be a lot more interesting for people that want to bring their young kids to go there, and we’ll use it as a meeting site for community events,” Kristov said.
The changes were made possible due to funding from Park Impact Fees, Prop 68 Per Capita grant funds, Cannery Community Funds, the Municipal Arts Fund (Fund 165) and the General Fund.
Written by: Alma Culverwell — city@theaggie.org
