Biebrach Park, located on Virginia Street near Delmas Avenue, will have its play area renovated and its restrooms demolished and rebuilt closer to the park's swimming pool.

"I think it's great," said Norma Jean Mendez, president of the Gardner Neighborhood Association.

Mendez, an active member of the Greater Gardner Strong Neighborhoods Initiative group, said the restrooms have become havens for drug users.

"There're too many places to hide where the restrooms are now," she said. "Plenty of people will be glad to see them relocated."

As the park is now, Mendez feels it's too rundown and unsafe, and therefore residents avoid it. "I think people will use it much more when it's finished," she said.

But Mendez and other park users will most likely need to wait until December to enjoy their park again. In addition to the refurbishing of the play area and restroom, the renovation includes added bleacher seating, more picnic tables, and additional landscaping and irrigation.

Steve Goldsworthy, project manager with JFC Construction, said construction should begin in late July, with work scheduled for completion within 150 days.

The Lafayette-based JFC Construction was awarded the contract at the June 3 San Jose City Council meeting. It was the lowest bid, coming in at $403,743, compared to San Jose­based California Plus, which quoted a bid of $498,000.

The city also added a $40,000 contingency to the bid, which takes into consideration unforeseen expenses.

JFC Construction was also the contractor for the Hummingbird Park project at the corner of Bird and Fisk avenues and has been contracted to install a bridge connecting the corner of Gregory Street and Fuller Avenue with Lonus Court.

Biebrach Park's renovation is part of a larger citywide effort to refurbish the city's public and regional parks. Funding is provided by the City Parks Bond Measure, which voters approved in November 2000. Voters overwhelmingly supported Measure P, a general obligation bond that allots $228 million toward improving parks and building new sports facilities.

Katherine Jensen, division manager for the city's public works department, said that despite Measure P's passage more than two years ago, Biebrach Park's renovation is happening exactly in turn with other park renovation projects.

"It's a 10-year bond program," Jensen said. "We're right on target."

Mendez is grateful that Biebrach isn't that far down the line and looks forward to having a nicer place her children can visit in their free time.

In its current state, Mendez is concerned about the safety of anyone in general, and her children in particular, spending time alone in the park.

"Once the restrooms are gone, you'll have a better view of the park and see the basketball courts, so it'll be safer and a real improvement to the neighborhood." Mendez said.

Some Adobe employees also feel that the refurbishment will enhance their use of the basketball courts.

Between three and four times a week, a handful of employees spend their lunch hour playing basketball.

Kevin O'Neill, a frequent basketball court user, said he'll be glad to see the playground's sand-filled play area replaced with turf.

"Kids would play with buckets and dump piles of sand on the court," O'Neill said. "Sometimes we figured we ought to bring brooms to sweep the court."

Because the courts are so close to the play area, they may be off-limits until construction is completed. However, the summer months are when the employees use the courts the most.

"For them to begin construction in August is really going to be bad news," O'Neill said. But if missing a couple weeks of basketball will mean cleaner courts and better restrooms, the wait will be worth it.