"We've got one more hurdle—the budget," Erceg said.

The San Jose Redevelopment Agency is planning to fund the $680,000 needed for the park's creation; $180,000 was already spent on the design. But the redevelopment agency has to wait until September to know if its budget will be approved, said San Jose Redevelopment Agency spokeswoman Peggy Flynn. "It's uncertain, but we feel confident," she said.

The 1.6-acre park runs along Fuller Avenue to the south and the train tracks to the north and from Bird Avenue to Prevost Street.

"To have this much space in a neighborhood this old is incredible," he said.

Yet it has taken significant community effort to turn an unappealing area into an aesthetically pleasing strip of land.

"It was an eyesore and blight," said Erceg, who got so fed up 12 years ago with the trash dumped across the street from his house that he and a neighbor designed a decorative fence to make it look cared for.

"You don't see abandoned cars or garbage there anymore," said neighbor Barbara Norman. "It is such an improvement."

While residents have trimmed the landscaping and kept a fresh coat of white paint on the fence for 12 years, Erceg said the neighborhood would like the city to take over the basic maintenance.

"We were so pleased with the outcome at Hummingbird Park that we have high hopes for this one," he said.

District 6 Councilman Ken Yeager is also looking forward to seeing Fuller Park become a reality.

"Many neighbors have tried to improve the area for the last 15 years, keeping it clean and safe," Yeager said. "I've had great joy working with the neighbors and I look forward to its completion."

Greater Gardner Coalition Chairman Kevin Christman said that Fuller Park will be a complement to nearby recreation sites such as Hummingbird Park, the Gregory Plaza tot lot and Biebrach Community Center.

Christman said 40 residents attended the April 22 Neighborhood Action Committee meeting to discuss the park's amenities.

"We realized it was our chance for our park," Christman said. "It was our only shot to get it right."

Although there were disagreements over design, by the end of the process the neighbors were pleased.

"They actually clapped when the meeting was over," said North Willow Glen Neighborhood Association President Tom Smith.

The proposed improvements will add a lawn, safety fencing along the railroad track, distinctive white fences, pathways, a horseshoe pit, bocce ball court and three types of seating—rocks, small tables with checkerboards and benches with armrests in the middle to prevent vagrants from sleeping in the park.

Erceg said the projected groundbreaking for the park is spring 2005.

"It's turning lemons into lemonade," he said.