Corner Of Duboce Park Getting A Makeover

Plans are taking shape for a redesign at the southeast corner of Duboce Park.

The area where Steiner meets Duboce currently features a low curb, a less-than-friendly sign outlining the park's rules of conduct, and not much else.  Now, a local group that has spearheaded various park improvements over the years is looking to spruce the site up.

Friends of Duboce Park began working with local landscape architects in 2012 to reimagine this corner of the park.  Planned upgrades include:

• A low semi-circular wall to provide seating, with angled cutouts to deter skateboarding
  
• Low shrubs and plants behind the wall
  
• Permeable pavement on the sidewalk surrounding the area
• Custom metal bike racks
• Wayfinder signs and a compass integrated into the plaza, pointing out the direction and distance to nearby destinations
  
• Telephone numbers people can call to listen to oral histories about the park

Friends of Duboce Park held multiple community meetings in 2012 and 2013 to refine the plans, and Board member Mark Scheuer tells us the latest designs have support from the Department of Recreation and Parks.  Now all that's needed is funding (the group applied for a Community Opportunity Fund grant this week), and an official sign-off from the Rec and Parks Commission.

If all goes well and funding goes through, Scheuer tells us ground could be broken some time in 2015.  We'll keep you posted.