Healdsburg unveils its newly improved $3 million park

<p>Healdsburg Saturday unveils its newly renovated Giorgi Park, spruced up and expanded with nearly $3 million and the labor of more than 100 volunteers.</p><p>The four-acre park off University Street has new play structures, pathways, a picnic area, a new basketball court and bocce ball.</p><p>“It wasn't that welcoming a park. Now it's an absolutely tremendous improvement,” said Mayor Eric Ziedrich. “It promises to serve a much larger segment of the population.”</p><p>Ziedrich was among 140 or so volunteers who earlier this year contributed their sweat to some of the basic work on the park to help offset costs.</p><p>Volunteers wielded picks and shovels, and helped with auguring holes, pouring concrete, assembling pre-fabricated decks, stairs and railings.</p><p>“We wanted to minimize costs wherever possible,” Ziedrich said.</p><p>The park has art benches donated by the Voigt Family foundation.</p><p>There are opportunities for interactive play for children. A water play feature mimicks the shape of the Russian River as it winds around Fitch Mountain.</p><p>A separate “archeological dig” allows kids to brush off the shapes of fossils, including a Tyrannosaurus Rex.</p><p>Today's noontime ceremony marks the completion of Phase One of the renovation project completed at a cost of $1.4 million in funds from the city's redevelopment agency, park impact fees and county's open space district.</p><p>It doesn't include $1.3 million the city previously spent to acquire and demolish two adjacent homes to expand the park, according to Community Services Director David Mickaelian.</p><p>The city is also applying for a second $500,000 grant from the county open space district to complete a bike and pedestrian path from Piper Street to the park.</p><p>Saturday is considered a “soft opening” because while the play equipment and other areas will be opened to the public, some of the turf will be off limits over the winter until the grass gets established.</p><p>“We anticipate an official ribbon cutting on Earth Day in April,” Mickaelian said.</p>