Elderberry Park Fix-It

1297 W. 5th Avenue View map 

The park provides access to the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail and has a view of the Cook Inlet.  The park features play equipment for 2 – 5 and 5 – 12 year olds and has 10 off-street parking spaces. The Anchorage Park Foundation grant from the State Legislature was $95,000.

History

In 1917, the property was acquired as a patent from the United States Government for a park.

In 1976, the Oscar Anderson house was donated to the city by Mrs. Anderson and moved to this site in order to preserve it. It is now a museum with tours available during the summer. The park has access to the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail and a view of the train tracks and the Cook Inlet.   

Improvements

In 2011,  neighbors and community members came together to fill out a report card to grade the condition of the park.  The park was given a "D". According to the people that participated in the process "The view of the park is great, but port-a-potty, graffiti, and cracks made the park appear old and ugly".

In 2012, the Anchorage Park Foundation allocated a legislative grant $95,000 to fund capital park improvements at Elderberry Park.

Anchorage Parks and Recreation in partnership with Anchorage Park Foundation put together a VIP Committee to engage community members in the park improvement process.  The VIP Committee acknowledged that the park could benefit from additional planning and investment and agreed to utilize volunteer support and department resources to improve existing facilities for the summer of 2013.

Parks & Recreation has requested additional state funding to rehabilitate Elderberry Park.  Funding will allow the department to engage the community to revisit the park’s role as a neighborhood recreation area with community-wide access to the Coastal Trail. 

In 2013, park improvements are expected to account to $10,000 - $15,000 dollars.

Contracted Work:

• Install park entry sign in southeast corner of park
• Remove obsolete bathroom facility (2014)
• Remove 5’ pathway in southeast area of park
• Review concept boards from the VIP meetings

Volunteer Effort:

• Re-seed removed concrete pathway
• Add sand to playground area
• Install low-maintenance plantings in southeast corner (existing adopt-a-garden space)
• Prune vegetation near coastal trail to improve visibility
• Remove graffiti on existing facilities
• View fix-it map of proposed activities

Volunteer powered Fix-It day is scheduled for June 29, 2013

Remaining funding will address additional improvements including park circulation concerns brought up by the VIP Committee.  Construction will take place in 2014 – 15 based on additional public involvement in 2013.     

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