A meeting to address upcoming renovations for the Margaret Hayward Playground is taking place this evening, and community members are invited to bring their requests, voice their concerns, and ask questions.
Margaret Hayward Playground is located within Jefferson Square Park, on the corner of Turk and Gough streets. Proposed improvements include renovating and/or replacing restrooms, playground structures, sports courts and storage facilities.
In 2012, the Recreation and Parks Department secured $14 million for improvements to Margaret Hayward Park, sourced from the Clean and Safe Neighborhood Parks Bond. The bond won 72 percent of votes when it passed in 2012, allotting $195 million to the improvement of parks throughout the city.
Of the $14 million allotted for repairs to the Margaret Hayward Park, $700k is designated for planning, $2.8 million for design, and $10.5 million for construction. The plan is to kick off construction in April of 2017, and reopen the park to the public in August of 2018. In the meantime, Recreation and Parks is collecting ideas and feedback from the community in an effort to help the renovation reflect the needs of the neighborhood.
The renovated Joe DiMaggio Playground in North Beach (Photo: Geri Koeppel/Hoodline)
Margaret Hayward Park isn't the only park benefitting from this 2012 bond. The Joe DiMaggio Playground in North Beach reopened in November of last year after an extensive renovation. Macaulay Park in the Tenderloin is also slated for renovation, hopefully starting this summer. A full list of parks and playgrounds that are slated for renovation using these funds can be found on the Recreation and Parks website.
Today's community meeting will start at 5:45pm, in the African American Arts and Culture Complex, located at 762 Fulton St. If you're unable to make the meeting in person, comments and questions can be sent to Recreation and Park project manager Cara Ruppert, at cara[dot]ruppert[at]sfgov[dot]org.
