India Post News Service
FREMONT, CA: The City of Fremont will host a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate Fremont’s 62nd park, Lila Bringhurst Community Park, on September 18, 2021.
“The vision of adding a much-needed opportunity for recreational space in the Fremont Innovation District is finally a reality. I’m proud to have shepherded this project that was first identified in the 2014 Letter of Intent to Establish Quality Education Facilities for Future Students in the Warm Springs/South Fremont Community Plan Area, to the design and now opening of this beautiful resource. This urban joint-use park will bring health and wellness to the community for years to come,” stated Mayor Lily Mei.
The Lila Bringhurst Community Park officially opened to the public on August 18, 2021 and is the first new community park to be built in the City of Fremont in decades. The 2-acre community park, built by Lennar, Inc., is located on a 4-acre site in the City’s Innovation District, adjacent to Lila Bringhurst Elementary School and serves as a joint-use with the Fremont Unified School District. The park will serve as a playground for Lila Bringhurst Elementary School students beginning 30-minutes before school and ending 30-minutes after school instruction.
Outside of these times, all Fremont community members will have open access to the park between sunrise and sunset. Currently, students and staff from Hopkins Junior High are temporarily utilizing the Lila Bringhurst School facility for instruction during the first semester of the 2021/22 school year. Fremont Unified School District targeting opening Lila Bringhurst Elementary School in the fall of 2022.
“We are thrilled to celebrate the newest park addition to Fremont. This joint-use park will provide community access to much needed amenities in our new Innovation District and engage all community in recreational activities,” said City Manager Mark Danaj.
The park is a compact urban solution to meet a community park amenity for area residents and elegantly blends City public park development standards with State schoolyard requirements creating a facility that meets both needs. The park sits at the center of the new Fremont Innovation District, which is a residential and commercial center. Residents will be able to walk through the park and then through adjacent linear plazas to access the new Warm Springs/South Fremont BART station through an iconic pedestrian bridge, the West Access Bridge, scheduled to open this fall.
Park amenities include multi-use field, outdoor classroom/amphitheater, basketball courts, sheltered picnic tables, play areas, restrooms, parking lot, and more.
“Lila Bringhurst Community Park is a dynamic space that serves multiple functions; a school playground to students and an outdoor space for the neighborhood. Most importantly, it provides much needed park access to the entire Fremont community. This is an amazing moment for the entire City of Fremont,” said Community Services Director Suzanne Wolf.
The park is named after longtime Fremont resident, Lila Jean Bringhurst, who was on the forefront for preserving the local heritage and history of Fremont. Lila served on the City of Fremont’s Recreation Commission from January 14, 2014 until her passing on May 7, 2016; yet, her lifetime of preservation efforts and contribution to parks will be enjoyed by future generations to come.
The public was invited to attend the grand opening celebration event at 45051 Wisdom Way. The event took place on Saturday, September 18 at 10:00 a.m. There were games for kids and a food truck (one food truck voucher offered per person for the first 150 attendees). The event will be streamed on Facebook Live for those unable to attend.
For more information about the park and grand opening, please visit – www.Fremont.gov/LilaBringhurstPark.
