Placemaking at Newark's Library Park

Measure GG's sales tax increase finances a plan to relocate Newark’s library from Civic Center Park to Newark Boulevard and Civic Center Terrace. Although a slick modern building will provide street visibility and curbside appeal, the gains are not worth the losses, given the abundance of unused space surrounding the existing library. Placemaking, at its core, is supposed to build on a community’s assets.

The library’s current location provides a convenient and safe place that inspires reading, recreation, and social interactions. Civic Center Park is known as “Library Park” because of the mutualistic relationship between the two.

If you haven't visited Library Park at least once in the last few months, please visit it with a fresh eye. You know you’ve arrived at Library Park when urbanization and industrialization meet tranquility. The vibe is not that of people on the go; rather, kids in no hurry to leave, parents restocking kids’ reading shelves, and freight trains sometimes traveling at a snail’s pace.

Some residents strive for front-row parking. Others park behind the library alongside shady redwood trees. Many enter from surrounding neighborhoods on foot and untuned riding toys. Ambient sounds of bike bells and scooter bearings abound. Dump your “belongings” (picnic bag or your kid) at the playground; peer out of the library’s large, wrap-around window to keep an eye on “things.”

Our library offers programs that enrich lives. Toddler Time is important in children’s development. Homework Express is a godsend for parents struggling with homework. The library is not quiet: When residents’ paths intersect, they don’t whisper—they have lots of catching up to do.

It is not uncommon for families to go in and out of the library two to three times in a visit. As families enter the library they’re often greeted by friends making a beeline for the park. That’s when itineraries merge. The stragglers always return to the library for books, a program, and the potty. They also return abruptly if they “get flagged down” by other friends entering the library to retrieve a lost jacket or library card.

From the library’s side yard parents socialize or read while their kids pile woodchips onto the slide for the pure excitement of watching another bulldoze right through the mound. Smiling kids play with their lunar launchers, nerf guns, and stomp rockets in the fields and sprint to get a closer look at the freight trains while others rubber-neck with sidewalk chalk in hand. Locals on their routine walk around the park’s paved loop don’t skip a beat at the train’s whistle.

Kids escort themselves to and from the library and park because parents have line of sight. The library’s close proximity to the park enables kids to negotiate an additional 15 minutes of playtime. These conveniences yield spontaneous interactions and, ultimately, community.

Relocation forces residents to navigate a crosswalk, a taxing task for families with small children. Kids will no longer dart toward the generous path that leads to the playground while parents voluntarily lag behind.

There’s walkability, recreation, safety, and community at Library Park. Our community bequeathed a special place to us. Our Library belongs at Civic Center Park! Let's free up Newark Blvd for additional placemaking—space is precious. Let us not be shortsighted.

Angela Akridge, Volunteer/Executive Director
Newark Parks Foundation
www.newarkparks.org