Notice: The dual open houses scheduled for April 3 have been canceled by the city of Healdsburg. A noticed posted on the city website the afternoon of Monday, March 31, read as follows:
“After reviewing preliminary schematic design cost estimates that we received on March 31, the project team determined that more time is needed to review the proposed project component costs to ensure the project aligns with the available funding. We anticipate rescheduling the open house for later in April.“
The original article announcing the open houses follows, but the schedule details are no longer appropriate. A subsequent article, “Behind the Delay of Fish Somersal Park Review,” has been published online.
The city’s Community Services Department, which includes Parks and Recreation, announced this week a pair of public meetings—one virtual, one actual—to be held next Thursday for open review of design plans for the Laura Fish Somersal Park.
The meeting will introduce the Schematic Design, phase one of the park’s construction process. A map of the park and projected uses will be introduced as the Scope Exhibit for the open houses.
To cover all the bases and get the widest possible public engagement, there will be two meetings: one a “virtual” meeting to be streamed live, and recorded, at 10am on Thursday morning. The other would be a more traditional open house event, held at the city’s Council Chambers on Thursday afternoon from 5-7pm.
“We just wanted to give people different options for participating,” said Tom Campbell, project manager for the city’s Community Services Department.
Fletcher Studio, a landscape architecture firm that has been involved in the project since 2019 and is developing a schematic design for Phase 1, will share a presentation in the virtual meeting, and again at 6pm during the live session. The virtual meeting will also be recorded and available to view on demand.
The virtual meeting can be joined via one of two online pages, at healdsburg.gov/zoom and facebook.com/cityofhealdsburg, starting at 10am on Thursday, April 2.
The purpose of the meetings is to inform the public about the new park development in Saggio Hills with the schematic design for the first phase of construction.
According to the city’s web page on the project, at healdsburg.gov/1167, the first phase of park development will include a multipurpose trail, creek restoration, parking and support facilities such as a restroom and drinking fountain, parking, utilities and stormwater treatment facilities for Phase 1 as well coming phases of development.
As funding allows, other park amenities including a modest sports component will be added.
Background
The City received approximately 38 acres of land as part of the Montage resort project for the new public park, and the developable area is about 12 acres. The site is comprised of rolling oak grasslands with scattered oak trees, seasonal wetlands, a flood detention basin for Foss Creek and a storm water basin for a nearby future housing site.
The approved master plan includes restoration of the Foss Creek riparian habitat, sports fields and courts, play areas, a large picnic pavilion, open lawn areas, dog play area, community garden, a pump track, picnic grove and special use gardens (e.g. native plantings, pollinator gardens, and habitat for insects and reptiles). There will also be an extension of the paved Foss Creek Pathway through the park, and an improved soft-surface trail network.
The City of Healdsburg has a webpage devoted to the project, at www.healdsburg.gov/1167.
