The first joint-use park in San Diego was officially opened Wednesday at Wegeforth Elementary School in Serra Mesa by Mayor Kevin Faulconer and San Diego Unified School District Superintendent Cindy Marten.
It’s the first of 50 new and upgraded so-called “Play All Day” parks that are slated to be opened in the next five years, according to the mayor’s office.
“Today, we break down the walls between city bureaucracy and school bureaucracy so there’s nothing that stands in the way of creating great parks in our communities,” Faulconer said.
Unlocking the first @sdschools Play All Day park with students at Wegeforth Elementary in Serra Mesa. pic.twitter.com/jVTHBwGsjx
— City of San Diego (@CityofSanDiego) March 23, 2016
“Play All Day does this by offering our neighborhoods a greater sense of community and giving our children the building blocks they need to be successful,” he said. “I’m truly proud of this program that helps build better neighborhoods for all San Diegans.”
During his State of the City address in January, Faulconer announced an initiative to break ground on or upgrade 50 parks over the next five years. Thirty of those parks will be shared with city schools that remain open for community residents after the school day ends.
“We share a commitment and a vision with the City of San Diego,” Marten said. “Just as Mayor Faulconer is working to build One San Diego by putting great parks in every neighborhood, San Diego Unified is also working to maintain great schools with great playgrounds in every community.”
As the first of many parks under the Play All Day partnership, the upgraded park at Wegeforth Elementary opens with $3.2 million in improvements, including a turf sports field; a decomposed granite running track; new parking area access off Glencolum Drive; security lighting; more picnic areas; and accessibility upgrades to accommodate people with disabilities.
— City News Service
