Oakland, CA – This morning, Mayor Sheng Thao and City leaders gathered in Mosswood Park to break ground on the new Mosswood Community Center. The design and construction of the project is being led by Oakland Public Works. The completed facility will be operated by Oakland Parks, Recreation & Youth Development.
The project will deliver a new two-story, 12,193 square-foot recreation center and improvements to the iconic park. Funding for the $20.8 million project was provided by Oakland’s 2016 Infrastructure and Affordable Housing Bond Measure KK and 2022 Public Facilities Bond Measure U, as well as grants from the Kaiser Permanente Community Benefit Program and the State of California Natural Resources Agency. JUV Inc. is the contractor for the project which will be under construction from Summer of 2023 to Spring 2025.
The groundbreaking was celebrated by Mayor Sheng Thao, Councilmember Carroll Fife, Councilmember Dan Kalb, the Office of Assemblymember Mia Bonta, Oakland Public Works Director G. Harold Duffey, Oakland Parks Recreation & Youth Development General Supervisor Donte Watson, as well as City staff and community stakeholders.
“The new community center and revitalized park will be a vibrant destination for Oakland families to once again gather for civic, cultural, and recreational activities” said Mayor Sheng Thao. “This milestone is the culmination of years of work and the support of our community partners at Kaiser Permanente and the California Natural Resources Agency. And of course, none of this would be possible without Oakland voters who are investing in our community through Measures KK and U. Working as One Oakland, we can strengthen community services and facilities so our families can thrive.”
Community stakeholders, including the Mosswood Recreation Advisory Council, Oakland Parks & Recreation Foundation, Parks & Recreation Advisory Commission (PRAC), Ujima Friends Beat 8x Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council (NCPC), and Oakland Heritage Alliance were closely involved in designing and supporting fundraising efforts for the new building and park improvements.
“Oakland Public Works is proud to have led a robust community engagement process spanning more than a year which helped ensure that the community-articulated values of sustainability, inclusivity, and beauty were clearly incorporated into the vision of this project,” said Public Works Director Harold Duffey. “I am grateful to the project team at Oakland Public Works and our partners at Oakland Parks, Recreation & Youth Development for working side by side with the community to bring this project to life.”
The Community Center will incorporate sustainable design principles and the City's ‘Art in Public Places’ program. It will be inclusive of a diverse community of users, universally accessible, and flexible in use. The ground floor of the facility includes a social hall, kitchen, inclusion classroom, and office and support spaces. The second floor will include classrooms, a computer lab, a maker space, and an outdoor terrace. The new facility replaces a 1950s-era Recreation Center building that was lost in a fire in November 2016. Following the fire, temporary facilities were installed to house core center programs, such as after school programs, summer camp, computer lab and cooking classes.
Park improvements along the southern portion of the park property include planting, pathways and lighting, improvements to the existing parking lot, a new fire access road at the north side of the building and improved east-west connection across the park.
For more information, please visit the City’s project website: https://www.oaklandca.gov/projects/mosswood-community-center
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