Willow Glen Resident

News

Photograph by Vicki Thompson

Serene but Fun: Fourteen years in the making, Fuller Park opens to the delight of North Willow Glen residents. Frank and Mary Battles relax at one of the chess tables that overlooks the bocce ball court.

Strip of dirt becomes a magical place

Fuller Park opens with lots to offer

By Mayra Flores De Marcotte

Residents in the North Willow Glen neighborhood were determined to change the area's image, and their efforts haven't gone unnoticed. Their hard work helped the community win the San Jose Beautiful award for most improved neighborhood in December 2005. Now it has another reason to celebrate, with the grand opening of its Fuller Avenue Park project.

Neighborhood resident Dan Erceg, who helped spearhead the project, says the park's opening ends the "smoke and mirrors" the neighborhood used for the last 20 years.

"We were trying to create the illusion of a nice neighborhood so that more people would take a chance on this place," Erceg says, "but not anymore. This neighborhood has become a thriving, interesting and safe place to be. This project looks great and sends a positive message to people."

Residents Mary and Frank Battles watched as the project evolved over the years.

"It's always nice to see your neighborhood get fixed up," Mary Battles says. "Anyplace where the neighbors keep it up and keep it looking fresh adds to the neighborhood."

Battles and her husband take long walks and like to change their path and scenery. The addition of the new passive park serves as a change of pace.

"It looks real nice," Battles says. "I like the way it was set up."

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.

Rather than an active setup with a tot lot, game courts or places to barbecue, the neighborhood opted for a more passive and serene approach.

Back when Erceg and neighbors Ken Eklund and Debbie Palmer first moved to Fuller Avenue, the strip of park was a dumping site for abandoned cars and debris.

"Some people just saw the space as an eyesore; we saw it as an asset," Erceg says. "There's not enough open space in these old neighborhoods, but we made it part of our top 10 priorities with Strong Neighborhoods Initiative."

Along the way, Erceg, Eklund, Palmer and neighbor Alison England received help from other residents.

"No one guy can pull this off," Erceg says. "This has been a collaboration of many neighbors helping out at different stages of the project."

Along with Fuller Avenue residents, the group also received help from San Jose City Councilman Ken Yeager and the San Jose Redevelopment Agency.

Yeager, who is chairman of the Caltrain board, worked with Caltrain to lease the property, and the redevelopment agency allocated $746,000 to design and construct the park.

The idea for the park coincided with the concept for the decorative white fence. That was 14 years ago, Erceg says.

Erceg, along with Eklund and Palmer, created the white fence that encloses the park as a deterrent for illegal dumpers.

"It worked beautifully and immediately," Erceg says.

The project, however, did not start developing until the Strong Neighborhoods Initiative was introduced 5 1/2 years ago, Erceg says.

Community meetings were held to consider what kind of park neighbors wanted and what amenities should be added.

Among the suggestions: turning the lots into parking for the light rail, or adding tennis and basketball courts or even a skate park, Erceg says.

But Greater Gardner resident Debbie Wade spoke up and said these were all inappropriate concepts for the area.

"I was thinking the same thing, but she said it out loud," Erceg says.

"That's all I needed, and then I came forth to support her idea and others followed suit."

Before the last design meeting, Erceg and the group of neighbors had done extensive canvassing of the neighborhoods, encouraging people to come and share their ideas.

"This was the last chance for input," Erceg says.

More than 100 people showed up for the final design meeting.

Incorporating the new with the old, such as the existing horseshoe pit, was important to the neighbors who enjoyed the recreation.

North Willow Glen resident Rene Erez, who also helped design Hummingbird Park, suggested the chess tables.

A bocce ball court was introduced and neighbors were so enthusiastic about its inclusion it was also added, Erceg says.

What resulted was a park with passive activities, "which is what we wanted," Erceg says.

The park includes three stretches of lawn, safety fencing along the railroad track and the distinctive white fences. Along with the horseshoe pit and bocce ball court, there are three types of seating--natural flat rocks, small cement tables with checkerboards, and benches with armrests in the middle to prevent vagrants from sleeping in the park.

"It's a natural open space," Erceg says. "There's a magic to this space."

England, who has worked on the project alongside Erceg, Eklund and Palmer for the last 5 1/2 years, agrees.

"The park gives this part of the neighborhood a finished feel," England says. "It's something nice to look at instead of vacant space. Kids get to run and play Frisbee, and it brings the neighbors out."

England calls herself a compulsive gardener, who from the time she moved into the neighborhood eight years ago wanted things as "greened up" as she and her neighbors could make them.

"Dan has been the visionary for the neighborhood," England says. "His thought process is infectious."

She says even after Erceg, Eklund and Palmer cleaned the area and fenced it off, there was still a collective longing among the neighbors for more.

"It was no longer a dumping ground but was still blank and waiting for something to happen to it," England says.

So meetings were held to decide the strip of land's future.

Originally, the park was going to have a winding path and colorful flower spots, England says.

"But out of fear of both cost considerations and proper maintenance, they were dropped over a more grassy and benchy feel," she says.

Neighbors are beginning to discover the new park, England says.

England has adopted the corner lot at Bird and Fuller avenues and will be planting colorful flowers.

"The location is a key spot to catch people's eyes with the colors," England says.