OCEAN VIEW PARK: Mother's Club and Rotary Aim to Raise $100,000 by June

Arguably the city's most popular park among young families who come to enjoy its jungle gym, see-saw, slides and swings,  suffered a setback when its main play structure was last month after inspectors found the equipment posed safety hazards and needed to be replaced.

In response to the news, the Coastside Mother's Club -- a group whose over 300 members reside between Montara and Pescadero -- and the Half Moon Bay Rotary Club with the to raise funds to replace the play structure. The Coastside Mother's Club estimates that as many as 5,000 local children under age 15 use the structure.

The two organizations announced Wednesday night that they seek to raise $100,000 by the end of June in an effort they have dubbed "Operation Ocean View." The campaign will include raffles at the , a raffle at the Rock the Block event in May, and a celebrity bartending night at next month with all tips to be applied towards the cause. Operation Ocean View will also encourage community members to contribute funds through a website created specifically for the fundraising effort, and will seek out grants and corporations as additional contributors.

"We are excited to see the Coastside community come together to bring this to fruition, and welcome community support in our fundraising goals," said Stacy Trevenon, president of the Half Moon Bay Rotary Club.

The groups aim to reach $100,000 by June in order for construction to begin in the fall. According to the Coastside Mother's Club, three local construction companies -- Brothers Builders, K C-D Construction, and Verdura Construction -- have already offered to build the new play structure. The Coastside Mother's Club says they are already asking companies to offer cost estimates for the project.

Local children will help to design and select the new play structure, according to Kristen O'Brien, President of the Coastside Mother's Club. "This hands-on learning opportunity will teach our children how to work together to solve a problem," she said.

The Coastside Mother's Club originally got involved after they heard the news of the faulty equipment last month. They talked with the city of Half Moon Bay on how they could be of assistance, including raising funds for new play equipment. The Rotary Club decided to partner with the Mother's Club in the effort, effectively providing the official 501(c)3 nonprofit status needed to accept money for charitable purposes, as well as one that enables donors to deduct the amount of their donation on their tax returns.

As the park is managed by the city of Half Moon Bay, city officials and staff will work with the two organizations in the process to replace the equipment, as well as involve children in the design and selection process for the new play structure.

"These two groups immediately recognized the need to help and enthusiastically agreed to work together in replacing the Ocean View playground equipment...I couldn't be happier with the partnership they formed with the City to kick this off," Half Moon Bay City Councilmember Marina Fraser said.

Mayor Naomi Patridge said that the effort by the Coastside Mother's Club and Rotary Club continues the the history of community support at Ocean View Park. “The park was initially built by community volunteers," she said.  "Ocean View Park is so important to children from all over the Coastside and we look forward to working with the entire community to make it a safe and enjoyable place for our children once again.”

Interested in getting involved? Send an email to oceanviewpark@coastsidemothersclub.org. To contribute a tax-deductible donation, visit www.operationoceanview.com.

Katy Katzenberger contributed reporting.