What does it take to keep a privately-owned community park open and welcoming to everyone? In Forestville, the answer is years of community effort, volunteers, fundraising and people who believe a gathering place in the heart of downtown is worth protecting.
Forestville is home to two privately-owned community parks: the longtime Youth Park and Forestville Downtown Oaks Park, which is owned and maintained by the Forestville Partnership Alliance (FPA), a local nonprofit organization. While the parks have different histories and ways of operating, both provide places for people to gather, connect and enjoy community activities.
Downtown Oaks Park didn’t simply appear. It took many people and years of hard work by those who believed Forestville needed a community gathering place downtown. In 2013, after years of effort, the community succeeded in purchasing the property. Since then, volunteers, community members and partners have continued to improve and care for it…