Mark West Area Community Fund holds open house to raise money for new community park

A community group behind efforts to build a park on the site of a preschool destroyed in the 2017 Tubbs Fire held an open house Saturday to show off the lot’s potential.

“This is the first real opportunity where the community has been invited onto the property to envision the future of this park plaza with us,” said Brad Sherwood, president of the Mark West Area Community Fund, a volunteer-led nonprofit organization with the goal of rebuilding the area after the devastating blaze.

The event allowed guests to tour the 1-acre lot the group is raising money to buy, meet the fund’s volunteers and learn about the vision for the land which was previously home to Mark West Community Preschool.

According to Sherwood, close to $400,000 has already been raised, $80,700 of that coming from community members. As of Friday, another $219,300 is needed to buy the property.

“It’s been totally grassroots. It’s knocking on doors, handing out flyers, businesses have been putting out flyers … This has been as grassroots and community driven as anything,” Sherwood said.

The new park would give Mark West area residents something they haven’t had before: a central gathering spot.

“I think it’s going to have a remarkable impact … The community doesn’t really have a place to gather, so now we’re talking about holiday get-togethers, community fairs, you could do a lot of activities there which we didn’t have a place for before,” said Karen Fies, chairperson of the Mark West Area Municipal Advisory Council, which has given money for and hosted meetings about the park.

Santa Rosa-based nonprofit Sonoma Land Trust is managing the acquisition of the land for the proposed park.

“We often do projects that are thousands of acres and here we’re doing a project that’s one acre. What’s key to know is that it’s not the number of acres that matters, it’s the benefit and impact that they will bring to the surrounding human and natural communities,” Sonoma Land Trust Executive Director Eamon O’Byrne said.

Area businesses that have given to the effort include: $250,000 from Mark West Area Municipal Advisory Council, $20,000 from Sutter Health, $10,500 from California American Water, $10,000 from Jackson Family Wines and $10,000 from Mark West Area Chamber of Commerce.

The Mark West Area Municipal Advisory Council’s $250,000 grant was the largest ever given in its history.

Fies emphasized the importance of bringing the community together, especially in unincorporated areas like Mark West, because most change is community driven.

“The community is a lot closer and dependent on each other than ever. I think before the Tubbs Fire we would have gone on our way individually, but it has shown us that we need each other and that you need to know your neighbors,” she said.

Sonoma Land Trust’s O’Byrne noted the environmental impact and importance the project will have on the community as well.

“This is not just a nice park or open space. It’s also a critical piece of climate resilience infrastructure,” O’Byrne said. “One of the most important ways we can cut down [heat- related deaths] is to have parks and open spaces to reduce the amount of gray infrastructure, meaning concrete and tarmac.”

Once the purchase of the land is finalized, park planning will begin in October, led by community participation and insight, Sherwood said.

“We’ll be doing an extensive community engagement process to gather ideas from community members on what they want to see in the park, and we will then develop a park plan,” Sherwood said.

The Mark West Area Community Fund has a way to donate to the project on its website.

“This park is going to symbolize and be the catalyst for community growth, healing and spirit. Literally, we’re going to have a new park plaza rise from the ashes of this property,” Sherwood said.

Reach Press Democrat intern Charlie Wiltsee at charlie.wiltsee@pressdemocrat.com.