Help Build the Mark West Area Community Park
The Park
With your donation (DONATE HERE), this one-acre empty lot in the heart of the Mark West Area, located at 4614 Old Redwood Highway, will once again welcome the laughter of children and gathering of family, friends and neighbors. Reborn as the new Mark West Area Community Park, this open space will become the heart and hub of our community.
Ribbon cutting!
Thank you to our community for attending our ribbon cutting celebration! In case you missed it, please check out a short video and pictures from the event.
Our rebuild journey…
Tubbs Fire destroys preschool
October 9, 2017
Empty lot for sale
January 2023
Future park coming soon!
2025
Park design selected!
Below is the official park design selected by the Mark West Area Community Fund Board of Directors after receiving community input. We thank our community for helping design this amazing park. Next steps, securing permits and fundraising! Learn more below. View a PDF version.
Park amenities will include:
“Chief Doug Williams” Gazebo (Funding sponsor needed!)
Children’s playground and swing set (Funding sponsored by the Saba Foundation)
Trail and fitness equipment (Funding sponsored by the Saba Foundation)
Butterfly garden (Funding sponsor needed)
Drinking fountain and landscape irrigation (Funding sponsored by American Water Foundation)
Picnic tables and benches (Funding sponsored by the Saba Foundation)
ADA parking (Existing parking lot)
Winter Update
Happy Holidays!
The Mark West Area Community Fund wishes you and yours a wonderful holiday season. Our Board has been busy working behind the scenes to build our new park. Below are a few highlights since our last update in October:
Park plan modifications: The park plans have been modified to accommodate additional playground equipment including moving the picnic table area closer to the gazebo area. A drawing of this modified plan can be viewed here.
Playground, fitness equipment and picnic tables ordered: The Saba Foundation has provided the funds to purchase and install playground equipment, a fitness station and picnic tables. To view the equipment, click here. We anticipate installing the equipment in spring 2025.
User Permit submitted: BC Engineering has partnered with the Mark West Area Community Fund to help submit our use permit to Permit Sonoma. The use permit was submitted this month and is a necessary requirement in the permit process.
Chief Doug Williams gazebo committee formed: A group of volunteers has formed to start a fundraising campaign to build a gazebo at the park dedicated to former Fire Chief Doug Williams who passed away earlier this year. Chief Williams loved trains, so the overall theme of the gazebo will be themed after a train station. Learn more about this heartfelt fundraising campaign here.
Ag + Open Space funding: Our park project was one of seven selected for funding through the Ag + Open Space Community Spaces Matching Grant Program. Mark West Area Community Park (Phase 2) – Also part of a multi-phased project, this 1-acre park will be the area’s first central public park and place for healing in a neighborhood still recovering from the 2017 Tubbs Fire. Funds for this phase will be used for design and planning, and development of basic infrastructure including ADA-compliant pathways and parking. Learn more here.
Volunteer of the Year Award: Karen Fies has received our first Volunteer of the Year Award for her outstanding contributions to the Mark West Area Community Fund and our greater Mark West Area. Karen has spent countless hours volunteering to help build our park by writing grant applications, attending acquisition meetings and so much more! We are thankful for her time, commitment and leadership. Thank you, Karen!
How you can help: View a list of park needs on our website here. Contact us at admin@markwestarea.org to inquire on how you can help donate or volunteer to help achieve our goal of constructing the park by summer 2025.
We are so thankful for your ongoing support. Please feel free to contact us with any questions at admin@markwestarea.org.
Happy Holidays!
The Mark West Area Community Fund Board of Directors
Fall 2024 Update
The Mark West Area Community Fund has been busy behind the scenes with our partners at the Sonoma Land Trust and the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District to get our park built! Below is a brief update on what we have been up to!
Water!
We now have water service at the park property. CalAm installed a new meter and thanks to your donations we have installed a new backflow device and hose connection. Having water on the park property is a huge step forward and allows for landscaping and tree plantings to begin this fall! CalAm has been a huge partner – thank you!
Cultural Resource Survey Completed!
As required by the County of Sonoma to obtain a use permit to develop our land to become a park, Sonoma Land Trust hired a consultant to survey the property for potential cultural resources. A representative from the Graton Rancheria Tribe along with a private contracted archeologist conducted an in-depth survey. We’re awaiting the final report, but don’t anticipate any issues. This is good news as we continue to check the boxes on our use permit application.
Septic Inspection Completed!
Another use permit requirement is having the septic system on the property inspected. The inspection was paid for by Sonoma Land Trust and completed this month. We now must demolish the old septic tanks – a cost our non-profit will pick up, paid with your generous donations.
Grading Plan Underway!
We have entered into a contract with Lescure Engineering to provide a grading plan for our park. The grading plan is required per County of Sonoma use permit requirements. The grading plan will show how stormwater runoff will be managed on the property.
Playground Selection:
Final equipment selections are being made to the playground that will be installed at the park for our children. Thanks to the Saba Foundation for funding the playground equipment! The playground will include swings and exciting climbing and fun activities.
Front Landscaping:
Rive rock was installed by volunteers at the front of the park property adjacent to the sidewalk. Additional landscaping will be completed once an irrigation system is installed.
Fundraising:
We are thankful for the ongoing support of our community to help build our park. We rely on donations and grant funding to build our park and 100% of all donations go directly to park construction efforts! Below is a list of recent donations and/or grants received since May 2024:
Jackson Family Wines: $35,000
The Hansen family: $500
Rakiura Investment Corp: $500
Venturi Family: $500
American Water Charitable Foundation: $35,000
THANK YOU!
Donate Today!
We rely on donations to build this park - time, volunteers and funds! Donations can be made online or mailed to the Mark West Area Community Fund at 422 Larkfield Center #103, Santa Rosa, CA 95403. The Mark West Area Community Fund is recognized as a non-profit cooperative association under section 501 (c) 3 of the United State Internal Revenue Service tax code. Our tax identification number is 92-2669449. We operate on a fiscal year from January 1 to December 31. Monetary and in-kind donations to the Mark West Area Community Fund are considered to be tax deductible, unless limited by law.
Thank you for supporting your community through the Mark West Area Community Fund.
Sincerely,
The Mark West Area Community Fund
Board of Directors
Past update highlights:
Ribbon cutting celebration was a success and we thank everyone for attending! See a video and photos of the event here.
Escrow closed!
On January 31, 2024, escrow closed on the park property located at 4614 Old Redwood Hwy. The Mark West Area Park is one step closer to opening up to our community! Thank you to Sonoma Land Trust, Supervisor Gore, County of Sonoma, Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District, and all our donors for making this happen.
Park Planning Moves Ahead
The Mark West Area Community Fund Board of Directors has entered into a contract with Community Soil Foundation, a local non-profit organization that specializes in landscape design work for initial park design drawings. The initial park design drawings will be used for the permitting process at Sonoma Permit. The design concepts being used were received from our community during our many community engagement events and from students at the Mark West Union School District. You can see some of the design ideas we received on our website at www.markwestarea.org.
Construction Costs and Fundraising
We will be seeking funding to support the predevelopment and construction phases of our park. In January, we will provide a menu of options for sponsorships to construct amenities of the park. For example, the Saba Foundation has already generously donated through their grant program nearly $300,000 for the children’s playground and its development. The playground will be called the “Saba Foundation Playground” and a plaque at the park will be placed near the playground. Other opportunities like this will be available to choose from on our website.
How can you help?
Donate online or mail a check to:
Payable to:
Mark West Area Community Fund
Mailing address:
Mark West Area Community Fund
422 Larkfield Center #103
Santa Rosa, CA
95403
Raising funds to build our park!
Now that the purchase of the property for our new park is complete, fundraising for building the park starts! One such example of how you or your organization can help is by selecting a donation level on this page or see the list of amenities below to sponsor the construction of that item.
Gazebo - A place for community to gather for musical presentations, plays, town hall meetings, movie nights and more!
Trees - Donations over $5,000 help for the planting of large trees with name plaques
Butterfly garden - A beautiful garden of native plants supporting the butterfly population
Your donation is tax deductible
The Mark West Area Community Fund is recognized as a non-profit cooperative association under section 501 (c) 3 of the United State Internal Revenue Service tax code. Our tax identification number is 92-2669449. We operate on a fiscal year from January 1 to December 31. Monetary and in-kind donations to the Mark West Area Community Fund are considered to be tax deductible, unless limited by law.
Mark West Area Community Park Location:
4614 Old Redwood Highway, Santa Rosa, CA 95403
Watch this two-minute video of the property where the Mark West Area Community Park will rise.
Frequently Asked Questions
1) Why is this property so expensive to purchase?
The owners of the preschool initially sought to sell the property to developers to build a 40-unit apartment complex. We believe that at least 2 developers offered $1.8 million for the property (advertised at $2M), but the owner agreed to sell the property to the community for a park, if we could meet the offer.
2) Will the County be the owners of the park and maintain it?
No, this park is not part of Sonoma County Regional Parks.
3) Who will be the owner of the park and who will pay to maintain it?
The MW Community Fund (a nonprofit) will own and maintain the park. It will be a “private” park for the use of the MW community.
4) How much parking will there be?
We hope to establish a few parking spaces for ADA accessibility and for public use. However, we encourage people to walk or ride bikes, scooters, skateboards, or strollers to the community park.
5) Will there be bathrooms? If not, will the restaurant let us use their bathroom?
We are looking into bathroom options based on County permitting requirements.
6) When do we get to start using the park?
Groundbreaking should occur in 2025.
7) What are the next steps after acquisition?
Additional funds will need to be raised to develop the park. Donations and volunteer efforts will help with these efforts.
8) How do we get ongoing information about the park?
There is a way to sign up (subscribe) to a newsletter on the website. See bottom of this page.
9) What will be the park hours?
Sunrise to sunset.
10) Will the park be secured/locked at night?
The Mark West Area Community Fund is exploring options.
11) How do I sign up to get a community garden spot?
This still needs to be determined.
12) How can I help and is there a place to sign up?
Please go to the website and let us know how you would like to help.
13) How are you going to keep the homeless out?
While we can’t guarantee that unhoused individuals won’t seek shelter at the park, we will design it in such a way to discourage “camping.” Also, since the park is not a public park, we can post “no trespassing” and “no camping” signs, and then enforce these policies.
14) Will the park be ADA accessible?
Yes. We will seek public and expert input on the best way to accomplish accessibility for all.
15) Will there be access to the park from the back (MW Estates)?
No. Unfortunately, the property on the opposite side of the fence is all private property with no apparent easements.
16) Can the board purchase the building next door for a community center, since it appears that the restaurant is not moving in?
No, the restaurant owners have plans to open the site in 2024.
17) Is Carlton still planning to build an assisted living facility next to Molsberry’s? If not, can we purchase that property?
Many of us have heard rumors that Carlton will no longer be building on the site, but there is not confirmation of this. Frankly, that site is likely too large and too expensive for the community to purchase.
18) Is the tree in the park still alive?
Maybe, but it appears to have experienced a lot of damage during the Tubbs Fire and may need to come down, for safety reasons. We will contact an arborist for further clarification.
19) Will there be a fence between the restaurant parking lot and the park?
We have heard that the property owners of the restaurant are interested in a permanent fence between the two properties.
20) What donations levels exist to support the park?
View our donation page to see the many levels available to financially support the park.
