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UID:Indybay-18815406
SEQUENCE:18957510
CREATED:20180602T071000Z
DESCRIPTION:After 4-long years of many, many tears, battles, losses and wins Andy's 
 Unity Park will be ready and will include everything that the community 
 wanted (even though we had to fight for it) join the 
 ?CELEBRATION?\n\n\n\nAndy's Unity Park Opens June 2, 2018\n\nSanta Rosa, CA 
  –  May 21, 2018  –  The public is invited to celebrate the opening and 
 dedication of Andy’s Unity Park at 3399 Moorland Avenue in southwest 
 Santa Rosa from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 2. The afternoon will include a 
 rich program of community speakers, music, food, children’s activities, 
 dancers, drummers, art projects, yoga, skateboard demonstrations, and 
 booths hosted by local organizations. \n\nLocated in an unincorporated 
 residential area, the park fulfills residents’ longtime goal of creating 
 a place for children to play and neighbors to gather. The park name evolved 
 from the community’s desire to remember Andy Lopez, a 13-year-old youth 
 fatally shot at the site by a sheriff’s deputy in 2013, and to celebrate 
 the spirit of unity that rose during the park planning process. \n\nThe 
 4.4-acre park includes a large natural turf field, community garden, 
 off-leash dog area, basketball court, skate spot, playground, picnic and 
 gathering spaces, pathways, natural area, and a memorial garden featuring a 
 bronze-relief likeness of Andy set within a tile mosaic highlighting his 
 interests. The neighborhood determined the park’s name and design by 
 participating in a series of workshops led by a steering committee of 
 residents, park planners, and consultants. \n\n“The creation of Andy's 
 Unity Park was a uniquely collaborative project,” said Sonoma County 
 Regional Parks Director Bert Whitaker. “We started with a blank canvas, 
 created a unified vision, and now we’re opening a park that represents 
 the wishes and spirit of the community.” \n\nA park has been envisioned 
 for the Moorland area for decades. The nearest park is more than 2 miles 
 away, far outside the standard half-mile service boundary for parks. A 
 developer had proposed a small park for the area in the 1990s, but it was 
 never built. Shortly after Andy's death, two vacant parcels at Moorland and 
 West Robles avenues went into tax default, and the county acquired them for 
 the park. \n\n“We are so pleased to welcome Moorland residents to their 
 new park,” said Sonoma County 5th District Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, who 
 represents the area. “The opening of Andy’s Unity Park provides a 
 long-overdue resource for the neighborhood and is a direct result of 
 efforts to engage and empower the community. Residents have 
 enthusiastically embraced the design process and volunteer efforts that 
 make this park and community garden truly their project.” \n  \nRegional 
 Parks acquired the parkland in December of 2014, facilitated the community 
 design process from 2015 to 2016, and managed construction from June 2017 
 to 2018. Major funding for the $3.7 million construction project came from 
 various county funds, the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open 
 Space District’s (Ag + Open Space) Matching Grant Program ($1.08 million) 
 and the California Department of Housing and Community Development’s 
 Housing-Related Parks Program ($483,475.) \n\n“Ag and Open Space is proud 
 to have helped make this park a reality,” said General Manager Bill 
 Keene. “Andy's Unity Park is a place where residents can play, explore 
 the outdoors, garden, and come together. It’s exactly the type of project 
 our Matching Grant Program is intended to support.” \n\nOther key 
 partners include the Sonoma County Regional Parks Foundation and Sonoma 
 County Department of Health Services as well as Kaiser Permanente, which 
 provided a $75,000 grant for the community garden and recreation 
 programming, and LandPaths, a local nonprofit that is developing the garden 
 through a model similar to its work at Santa Rosa’s Bayer Park. 
 \n\n“We’re excited about all the healthy benefits Andy’s Unity Park 
 brings to the Moorland neighborhood,” said Judy Coffey, RN, Kaiser 
 Permanente senior vice president and area manager. “The community garden 
 provides ongoing opportunity for residents to participate and interact with 
 one another. It’s wonderful to have a beautiful new community space where 
 families can gather and enjoy healthy activities year-round.” \n\nThe 
 June 2 dedication begins with welcoming remarks at 1 p.m. Speakers include 
 Sonoma County officials, local clergy, members of the community and Andy's 
 family. Activities will take place throughout the afternoon. \n\n“After 
 four years of advocacy for the park on Moorland Avenue, it has become a 
 reality,” said Esther Lemus, a longtime resident and member of the 
 Moorland Neighborhood Action Team. “This is a new beginning for the 
 neighborhood and a beautiful way to honor the memory of Andy Lopez. We are 
 very appreciative to all the people who had a role in making this 
 possible.”\n\n(http://parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov/Learn/Press-Releases/Andys-Unity-Park-Opens-June-2-2018/)\n 
 https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2018/06/02/18815406.php
SUMMARY:Andy's Unity Park Dedication Community Celebration JCAL Reunion
LOCATION:Andy’s Unity Park\n3399 Moorland Ave, Santa Rosa
URL:https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2018/06/02/18815406.php
DTSTART:20180602T200000Z
DTEND:20180603T000000Z
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