Petaluma volunteers build a safer Walnut Park

A new police substation is the culmination of a $150,000 volunteer-led effort to revamp the downtown park and provide added safety.|

Petaluma dignitaries and law enforcement officials gathered Friday at Walnut Park to dedicate a new police substation, the culmination of a $150,000 volunteer-led effort to revamp the downtown park and provide added safety.

The latest improvement is a renovated 75-year-old building in the park designed by architect Brainerd Jones as a children’s playroom. The structure, which had fallen into disrepair, received a fresh coat of paint, new windows and a remodeled interior with desks and computers for police officers.

An alliance of seven Petaluma service clubs raised the money and did much of the work in the 1.5-acre park that was built in 1873. Incoming interim Police Chief Ken Savano said that the project has removed a blight and will deter unsavory elements including drug dealers and prostitutes from using the park.

“It’s amazing to see the community coming together to take ownership of the park,” he said. “What they’ve done is just beautiful. It’s the opposite of the broken window effect.”

The new building includes security cameras that allow police to monitor the park 24 hours a day. It will not be a traditional staffed substation, Savano said, but rather a place where officers on patrol can go to write reports, meet with residents and keep a visible presence.

The Petaluma Service Alliance, made up of local Rotary, Kiwanis, Elks and Lion clubs, came together last year to improve other parts of the park including the gazebo, the play area and the pavement. Maureen Frances, the chairwoman of the alliance, said that the new police presence will provide extra safety so that visitors can enjoy the new amenities.

“We listened to the neighbors and to the broader community, and we heard their security concerns,” she said. “Having established this satellite office, we want to thank the Petaluma Police Department for agreeing to a presence here in the park for the safety of our community, and especially for helping us all make sure our children are safe.”

In one of his last official duties as police chief, Patrick Williams, who retired from the department on Saturday, said that the project was a great collaboration between the city and residents.

“This is intended to improve the quality of life in Petaluma,” he said. “I’m happy to be a piece of that puzzle. This will be key to helping this neighborhood. It is the essence of what Petaluma Policing is intended to foster.”

The service groups had long wanted to help Petaluma revitalize Walnut Park, but the city has been faced with tough financial times and needed to prioritize resources for other projects. Mayor David Glass said that the city could have completed the work with money from California’s redevelopment program, but the state ended that funding source.

He said volunteers stepped up to fill the need.

“This helps take away some of the seediness in this area,” he said. “By the good graces of volunteers in the community, people will know that the police have a presence. We want a vibrant and safe downtown.”

Steps from the ribbon cutting ceremony Friday, children played on the playground equipment while parents sat on benches and watched. Lara O’Brien, who has two children, said that the upgrades to the park, including the increased police presence, has made it more inviting for families.

“It feel reassuring and safer,” she said. “I know that the park can be sketchy at times. It’s a meeting place for the entire community with the farmers markets and other events. What they’ve done is super nice.”

(Contact Matt Brown at matt.brown@arguscourier.com.)

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