After a year and a $5.3 million renovation that's just a few months behind schedule, Alamo Square Park finally reopens Wednesday, having been purposefully kept fenced off until the Bay to Breakers hordes are safely out of the vicinity. For months now, new turf and sod have been establishing themselves as tourists continue to be relegated to one awkwardly fenced corner of the park for their Painted Lady selfies. And now we will all get to see the park in refreshed shape, minus a few old and dying trees, with dozens more newly planted.
We learned about all the various improvements to the park back in the fall, and these include the re-turfing with drought-resistant grass, the addition of new accessibility paths, new benches and a water fountain/water bottle filling station by the playground, a new single-use all-gender restroom, and extensive improvements to the park's sprinkler system.
Rec & Parks general manager Phil Ginsburg explains to CBS 5 that "The renovation included replacing 30-year-old irrigation lines and 70-year-old quick couplers," and that post-renovation, this is going to save 2.5 million gallons of water per year.
The delays, which kept the park closed long past the initially estimated seven months, were caused primarily by our very wet winter.
Curbed tells us that there will be a reopening ceremony for the park on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m.
Also, it should be noted that the tennis court in the park is going to remain closed for further upgrades, and as Hoodline reports, those could take most of the next year. Rec & Parks still needs to a hire a contractor to redo the court, and in the meantime, it's being used as a temporary plant nursery.
Let's just hope that renewed attention to this renovated park doesn't bring the sort of sunny weekend party people who don't know how to pick up after themselves, a la Dolores Park.
Previously: Sod Laid, Newly Green Alamo Square Nears 'Late Winter' Opening