Photograph by George Sakkestad
Babysitter Xi Qio has fun at Washington Park with Yi-An Tseng, 5, and Tammy Tseng, 1. The park is scheduled for $1 million in renovations.
By LESTER CHANG
Washington Park--the oldest park in Sunnyvale--will get a $1 million facelift, beginning next month.
The renovation, approved by the Sunnyvale City Council in March, is scheduled to be completed by January 1998.
The work contract was awarded to Blossom Valley Construction Inc., a San Jose company.
Washington Park was opened in 1945, and because there weren't many parks at the time it became a main gathering place for residents, who numbered about 10,000 then, said David Vossbrink, Sunnvyale's community relations officer.
Today, the city boasts 20 other parks.
The work at Washington Park includes repaving, improvements in athletic fields and play equipment, new landscaping and installation of a new irrigation system and drainage system, playground equipment and new electrical work.
Because of public concerns about noise that park guests might make while they use the picnic tables, the tables will be located farther away from neighborhood streets, said Robert Walker, who heads the city's Parks and Recreation Department.
The park currently has a playground, four horseshoe pits, a soccer field, a tennis court, two basketball courts and recreation buildings.
Norman Hagey, 64, said the improvements are overdue.
An avid horseshoe thrower, Hagey said he wished the city had approved his request for at least 10 horseshoe pits.
More and more senior citizens in Sunnyvale have taken up the sport, he said.
Hagey said he has pitched horseshoes from one to four hours a day, three times a week since 1987.
Hagey pitches professionally for the Golden Eagle Horseshoe Club in San Jose and said he couldn't have reached that level if it had not been for his practice at the park.
Judith Conniff, who has used the park for nearly 20 years, said the reconstruction work will help the park become a bigger asset in the community and will draw more users in the future.
"It is a relaxing place. It is an excellent park," she said.
Other park users also said they liked the area, but noted the city should have more playground equipment installed for children.
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, April 9, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.