Birchfield Park (Assessed by Adrian)

Birchfield Park

Santa Clara and West Winton Ave  

            I like this park a lot because it reminds me of when I was 4 years old and used to come here with my dad on our way to Southland Mall. I would get tired of walking and so we would stay at the park for maybe a half hour before heading home. The park looks nice, has a lot of open space, and still has the same play ground that I used to play in. It is also a great place to have a party or a picnic.

Park Assessment 

Is there a play structure for toddlers?

The plays structure is good for ages 4-12 years old. The playground is not fenced.

What play structures are present at this park?

There are swings, a jungle gym, car/dinosaur rockers, monkey bars and pull up bars.

Would you enjoy hanging out in the park?

Yes. There are a lot of benches everywhere around the park, and there are two adult swings and two toddler swings.

What fun stuff is in the park?

There are many tables and each table has one BBQ pit and one trashcan, which minimizes litter. There is also a wheel swing and a horse shoe area.

What type of terrain is at this park?

There is grass, wood chips, and cement terrain plus a trail.

Are there public toilets?

There are bathrooms at this park and both bathrooms were well maintained.  

Maintenance:

Is there graffiti, vandalism, or litter at this park?

There was some graffiti, but only on the jungle gym. 

Is the park well maintained?

This park is well maintained and you can hardly ever see any trash.

Are there any park identification signs?

There are two identification signs that show the rules and regulations of the park.

Park Safety:

Please comment on the safety of the park and the surrounding area.

I feel safe at this park because there two main transit roads on two sides and there is a police station across the street.  

Would you feel safe walking through the park at night?

It depends. If you are with a lot of people then yes but at night it will be very dark. The lamp posts are about 50 feet from each other plus and they are so high up so that the tall trees cover most of the light.

Does the park feel isolated?

No because during the day there are people walking and running around the park.  Saturdays are especially busy because people have BBQs.

Recommendations:

Leaking Water Fountain:

There is only one water fountain and it leaks some of the water. It has a highlighted cone to identify that it needs to be fixed.  

No Place to Lock Bikes: There are cement holes where you can put your bike, but there are no racks or pipe/poles for you to lock your bike to.

Basketball Hoop Lighting:

They should put another light/lamp in near the basketball courts because there is only one lamp on one side of the hoop.

Other Notes:

There are “No Smoking Signs” by the play areas.

The Southland Mall is about a ½ mile walk from the park.

There are two AC transit bus stops for people who need to catch the bus.

The park hours are from sunrise to sunset.

You can bring dogs as long as they can be controlled and are on a leash.

Active sports must be regulated: skateboarding only in designated areas.

There are soccer games in this park because you can see the white lines on the grass that mark off the field.

There is a trail that is not a complete circle but does loop back to where you started from.

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