Why I’m involved in FoJP by board member, Jack Alber
Jackson Park has been a home-away-from-home for me for almost all of my life. When I was a young kid I had a standing Sunday afternoon playdate with two of my best friends that usually took place on the expansive grass fields of Jackson Park. We’d run around it till we were exhausted, playing increasingly convoluted games of football, always inventing a new kind of rule to make even teams out of our odd numbers.
When I was a kid it seemed truly endless, an island of infinite green nestled with the city’s gray embrace.
Throughout 2020 when everything we knew was upended, that plane of green was a crucial refuge to relax and stretch out while briefly severing your connection to concrete; walls; ceilings; screens; the things that the world had shrunk to. Jackson Park was there throughout, constant while everything else wasn’t.
Jackson Park has always been constant, free of any major improvements or renovations or redesigns since 1999. I’ll be honest, that’s something that I do not love about Jackson Park.
I was three years old the last time Jackson Park was remodeled. In the time between Jackson Park’s last remodel and now I started and finished my entire education, served in the Peace Corps, returned to the US, moved away from Potrero Hill, lived in another city for two years, and now have moved back to Potrero Hill. Each one of those steps took years. All of those steps arguably took longer than renovating a park might (even in SF). Suffice to say, Jackson Park is long overdue for a nice remodel, and Friends of Jackson Park has commissioned an incredible design for one from Fletcher Studios! Jackson Park is a wonderful place, but there are so many ways it can be improved, and this redesign hits everything I could dream of.
With these improvements Jackson Park can increase the amount of trees, increase the amount of unconstructed green space, increase the welcoming feel of the park, and add an amphitheater that could serve as a hub for the Potrero Hill and SoMA communities. It can do all this while preserving the two ball fields with improved lights. It can turn Jackson Park into a beautiful example of what a San Francisco park can be, and in turn remind us that we all have the capacity to make our city better.
That last part is a big reason I joined the FoJP board– I wanted to be a more active participant in the effort to help my community and my city become the best version of itself. A beautiful, newly renovated, up-to-date and welcoming park that offers a variety of different uses is a perfect example of what San Francisco can be as we move forward.
I was thrilled to join the board and meet so many other people equally committed to this goal. Everyone is passionate and excited about the project. It’s been an honor to help so far, and I can’t wait to continue as we move closer and closer to our long held dream of success.
If you’re interested in helping us, make sure to sign up for our mailing list and attend our events! One way to really support the effort is to try and attend as many public hearings and comment forums as you can, and make sure to fill out any google forms that we send out (like our recent one looking for suggestions to rename the park) It is super helpful for us to be able to show the city how engaged Potrero Hill is on this effort– it’s been a big part of our success so far and it will continue to be important over the next phase.
Make sure to keep an eye on the website and all of our social media (Twitter, Instagram and Facebook) for upcoming announcements and ways to support Friends of Jackson Park. 2023 is going to be a big year for us and we’re excited to have you as a part of it. Here’s to a park that we all love and the wonderful future in store for it!
See you at Jackson,
Jack Alber
