Currently Planned Spaces:

1. Dog Park & Amenities
Provide a space that is inviting to both dogs and owners. The park shall provide areas for dogs to play in a safe, interactive and healthy environment. The entire park should be dog friendly and accessible to dog owners; provide dog-waste stations and water fountains
for dogs throughout all park trails & sidewalks. The individual dog play areas should be divided into two separate spaces, one for large dogs and another for small dogs. Each dog play spaces shall have benches for dog owners with shaded areas and trees. Provide durable furniture, waste stations, and toys and water fountains for dogs and owners. Make sure there are no plants near the play areas that may harm or be allergic to
dogs.

2. Rec Area
The Recreational Area or the PAL gym should be a major icon of the park with access to community spaces for activities and youth programs.

3. Activity Center
We coined the name “Activity Center” for the two-story building, because it offers a numerous spaces that could serve multiple community & park activities. We are not aware of the programs that will be occupying that space but it could be a very dynamic and vibrant space for community arts and children’s programs. There is sufficient open space adjacent to it to provide outdoor art space, studios & labs.

4. Skate Park
The Skate Park is an important aspect of the park and will provide an attractive activity for kids and young adults. The skate areas must be gated for security reasons. It should also be integrated to the circulation sidewalks and be visible & identifiable from all parts of the park. The skate area should enhance the use of the park, and will encourage parents and their kids to visit together. A parent should be able to drop off their kids at
the skate park and take advantage of other activities on the park having the security of where their kids are.

5. Basketball
The Basketball courts must be gated, both for security and to keep the balls inside the courts. Similar to the skate park it needs a marker to identify and will too, offer multiple activities and options for people.

6. Maintenance space
Maintenance is a pragmatic necessity for a park, and one that is critical to its operations, longevity and success. It should be accessible to deliveries, provide ample storage space and immediate access to the entire park via vehicular (carts) means.

7. Softball
Oxnard, boasts a tradition of Friday night and weekend softball leagues for adults. It’s a sector of the community, which thrives and is important to the social culture of the City. Providing a softball field is important to attract a large sector of the Oxnard Community.

8. Soccer
Oxnard has numerous youth soccer leagues, which use many of the parks throughout the City every weekend morning. Its important to provide a field that will provide space for that and add another important aspect of the overall activities for the Park.

Proposed Planned Spaces (additional spaces):

9. Botanical Garden
Will provide a learning experience and a natural space where people from different backgrounds in the community can stroll through different paths and enjoy the garden. People that experience a botanical garden can learn about a variety of plant species, how flowers beautify a space, what colors they bring, aromas they release, insects and animals they attract, and how they intensify our experience with the natural world. A botanical
garden promotes interaction with the community since visitors share their experiences with friends and family as they stroll through the paths intersecting the garden.

10. Community Garden
A space where people from the community can learn the basics of farming and grow plants and vegetables with their own hands. It should allow people the opportunity to
learn the basics of farming and gardening. It should bring the community together and promote volunteerism, healthy lifestyles, recycling, community interaction, green living and education.

11. Amphitheatre
A small outdoor amphitheatre would provide a venue for local musical artists, like Jazz artists, guitar players, folk bands and other “family based” music to entertain small groups of people and allow for a relaxing time. Other events can include local movie shorts or experimental film screenings, dance competitions, poetry readings, theatre, etc.

12. Arboretum
The flat geography surrounding the park site would benefit from having a collection of trees, and in this case, the area facing 5th street. The arboretum will provide a visual cue to one of the park’s entrances and for visitors traveling along this road. It will also create the space and background for the amphitheatre, provide shade for the it, help subdue
noise from traffic, and create a space of visual interest.

13. Cafe
A cafe near the amphitheatre would be ideal by providing those attending an an amphitheatre event a place to sit, relax, listen to music, study or just read a book. It would also benefit those attending any other spaces at the gardens.

14. Shop/Info booth
Visitors would need information about “Campus Park” activities and amenities that would guide them and help them make better use of their time there. This would also make them feel welcomed which would be extremely important to assure they are informed of all ongoing activities, sports leagues and opportunities. Spending time at the botanical
garden and other engaging activities, would leave an impression on its visitors, that is why a shop would provide an opportunity to sell garden gifts, garden books, Oxnard history books, etc.

15. Buddhist Temple tribute
A long narrow stretch of gardens on the “H” street side will pay tribute to both Oxnard’s Japanese & Buddhist history and contributions to this city. It will also allow for the Buddhist Temple across the street to enjoy some of their activities, even extend their festival into the park. The gardens will also minimize any noise produced by sports activities at the park and provide a beautiful natural landscape for those traveling on “H” street.

16. Memorial Space
This space will provide an area dedicated to local heros, veterans, community leaders and could host ceremonies like Veteran’s Day, Memorial Day and other city celebrations. It’s a space where the architecture and landscape becomes formal, balanced, and symmetrical. It’s a space that areas to commemorate historical figures that will bring
the community together.

17. Donors Plaza
The “Donors Plaza”, would be a place that will allow donors to be recognized via a plaque, bench, fountain or tree naming process. The concept is to allow local philanthropy to contribute to a foundation Friends of Oxnard Gardens that would help with the maintenance of the Park.

18. Multifunctional Community Lab Spaces
This multi-functional structure will provide areas for workshops or any other function related to the park and programs using this space from the community. The concept is to have an open plan structure with movable partition-walls that will allow the space to be rearranged to any size and allow for a variety of activities, including Civic celebrations and could be rented out for private use to raise funds and most important to activate
the park.

19. Dual Walkway and Bike Trail (trails circling park)
A bike-friendly park will provide a place for the active person and promote a ‘green” lifestyle as it will be a place for bike riders to visit. Signage should promote visitation from pedestrians, bike riders and joggers.

20. Green House & Storage
Located inside the Community Garden space, this structure will fit the needs of the community garden by providing a year round space to garden without the affects of seasonal changes. It would also allow for gardening workshops to take place. Once such example would be to include bonsai tree workshops, which already take place at the Buddhist Temple, and can be extended to this area.

21. Picnic Area
Provide large open green spaces for personal activities and weekend picnic & barbeques. There are two areas designated, one in a large open green space, the other adjacent to the amphitheater. The one adjacent to the Amphitheater could be used during concerts or festivals.

22. Kids Play Area
Provide a fun and secure play area for small children to use and also have access to the entire park. The space should have build-in benches, planters and shaded areas for not only play but for instruction.

23. Athletes Memorial
Provide a Memorial for local athletic icons from Oxnard that have contributed to our community.

24. District Bus Repair/ Maintenance Area
Existing facilities to remain.

25. District Offices
Existing facilities to remain.

Planned Features:

A. Removal Structures
A key aspect to the success of the park is for the space to be multifunctional. One solution is to plan ahead for built-in shade or covered structures. Spaces like, music areas, fair sale booths, information kiosks, stages, etc. Removal structures should allow more efficient use of the space throughout and also provide additional spaces for different
programs and/or activities. The structures could be fabric tensile structures that could be easily erected and taken down.

B. Multi-functionality
The success of the park with the Oxnard community will be based primarily on the programing of the park. The park should provide spaces that can serve for multiple functions and attract as many people from the community with any interest to them provide the possibilities for spaces shall be used for walking, visiting, relaxing, exhibiting art, etc.

C. Water Features
Water features should be used to identify key places at various parts of the park. We identified at least 3-please which could be used for people to gather and would provide a feature that would help identify it. The shape should be simple in its geometry.

D. Sculptures and Marquees
The park will offer many opportunities throughout the site to place commemorative sculptures of city heroes, important community leaders and contributors. The inclusion of important event and personal sculptures and/ or marquees is a great asset to the community and any visitor to learn more about the history of the city.

E. Sustainability
It is important to identify how this park can address the sustainable demands for its construction, development and upkeep. We consider sustainability to be a three-part balancing phenomena that must address; social, economic & environmental balance for maximum success.

-social: from the inception of the park, the programming and the inclusion of the community in the process is critical to the success and buy-in. Providing important spaces that meet the demands of the community and providing spaces and places of interest that are instructional, informative that will people will identify and take care of.

- economic: We understand that all additional planting and labor as a result of a garden park is an additional burden on the City’s budget. Therefore we propose a foundation “Friends of Oxnard Gardens”, donor and philanthropic opportunities to raise funds to maintain. In addition, by-in from the community is also important for the community to
contribute via clean-up days, to give people the opportunity of social-philanthropy.

-environment: We would propose the use of permeable materials, re-claimed water for irrigation, ample shading, and wherever there are roof structures, installation of photovoltaic solar panels. Use of drought tolerant plant material, waterless or low flow bathroom accessories and LED lighting.

Potential Activities:

A. Fitness classes
Classes such as Yoga, Pilates, Tai- chi and Zumba for beginners and advanced students can be offered. These fitness classes can take place in the morning and evening to assure everyone in the community can participate. Fitness walks can also be coordinated during lunch.

B. Book Readings and Lectures
Free knowledge for everyone. National and local writers can host free book readings and sell their books. Professors from UCLA, USC, UCSB and Channel Islands can visit and give free lectures related to various topics ranging from health to agriculture. This is a perfect way to connect the academia to the community and build a lasting relationship. These events can take place in the Amphitheater or the Community Space section of
the garden.

C. Art Fairs
Oxnard has a large, talented and dedicated local artist community. Artist groups can use the different spaces in the garden to host art festivals and offer community art classes.

D. Workshops
Different organizations and groups in Oxnard can participate by hosting workshops for the entire community. Workshops related to gardening, environmental issues, public safety, and public health are some of the many workshops that can be offered.

E. Food and Wine Tasting
Different wineries and local restaurants can host tasting events. For example, “The Taste of Oxnard” can be an annual event in the garden.

F. Music and Poetry Events
On weekends or weekdays in the evening residents can stop by the garden’s Amphitheater and enjoy music by talented local artist. Theater groups and art groups can also host poetry reading events.

G. Weddings
The beautiful landscape settings in the garden can provide the perfect location to hold a simple wedding ceremony or a more elaborate one. The city will have specific fees for the rental of the space.

H. Fundraisers
Non- profits organizations and other civic organizations can also use the garden to host private or public fundraising events. Family reunions or memorials can also take place in the garden.

When I was about 14 years old and my father was 60, we planted a blue spruce on the front lawn. It was about a six-foot sapling.  After two years or so as it became stronger and its roots were better established, my mother asked me to hang about a half dozen large Christmas ornaments she had purchased at a yard sale.  I didn’t realize at the time that doing so would be the beginning of a 34 (and counting) year tradition.

As the tree grew, so did my mother’s pursuit of ornaments. She would purchase them at garage and yard sales, flea markets and small and large retail stores, alike (but only after the Holidays when the prices were relatively reasonable, as some of the decorations still in boxes before the holidays would cost between $10-$25, depending on the brand and size).  Eventually, especially after the holidays, my siblings, sisters and brothers-in-law and I would stumble upon good buys and purchase, accordingly.  We adhered to a stern policy, though: never spend more than four dollars on an individual ornament.

A few years later I left for university in San Francisco and lived there for many years after I graduated.  Upon my return to spend Christmas annually with the family, I was always asked by my mother to decorate the spruce.  Each time I’d begin the process by lowering the large plastic bags filled with ornaments (which we stored in the garage rafters).  And each time I returned for the holidays, I noticed we had accumulated more and more ornaments.

Our family’s home is located on a relatively busy street in southern California.  Hundreds of cars and dozens of school children pass our home and the tree daily during the Christmas season, as our home is nestled between two elementary schools. Drivers have been honking, giving thumbs up and yelling out the windows as they pass with shouts of “beautiful!” and “that’s awesome!” for many years as we’ve gone through the process of decorating the tree.  The kids stroll by and look with glee.

Strangers have knocked on our front door a few times over the years and have graciously given us some of their larger ornaments as a reflection of their appreciation of our efforts to bring holiday cheer to our street and neighborhood.  Their gestures are of course appreciated.

This year marks about the 34th anniversary of this tradition.  The spruce is now about 50 foot high and we have accumulated, purchased and obtained over 340 ornaments.  What began so many years ago with six ornaments has now evolved into a three day process (this season, I rewired each and every ornament, using more than 350 feet of galvanized wire.  That’s more than the length of a football field).

My father passed away earlier this year and I’m almost 50 years old.   Once I prepared the ornaments and began to hang them on the branches, I kept reflecting on that day so many years ago when my father and me planted the tree.  It was the only time over all those years where I found myself periodically becoming emotional while standing on a 12 foot ladder.

Friends,

Thanks again for all of your support!

Since the last time I wrote to you there has been some positive news I would like to share with you.

If you haven’t done so, I would like to invite you to join our facebook page so that you get updates on our progress to include botanical gardens at “Campus Park” at the old Oxnard High School site.  You can also see the plans we have designed. The facebook page is: Oxnard Campus Gardens.  Make sure you click the “like” button to make sure you get the updates.  You can also visit our website at:oxnardcampusgardens.org

After talking to community leaders and regular citizens, we have created an illustration and programmed different spaces to include into “Campus Park”.  Oxnard Parks and Recs was kind enough to allow us to present this plan to them and consider it into their agenda. We feel that if it wasn’t for your support we couldn’t have gone this far.

We are getting closer to our goal.  But we still need a couple of crucial steps to make it happen.  Early next year 2012, the Oxnard City Council, which will have already seen our plan, is going to vote for, or against, the current plan (not our plan) for “Campus Park”.  We need them to vote against the current plans.  Remember, we seem to have their support for our plans, so why do we need to worry?  Well, whether they support our plan or not won’t matter as much as the number of voters that support our plan, because with such strong support, City Council will be more than willing to vote for our plan .  In other words, the more petition signatures we have, the more likely that Oxnard City Council will vote “no” on the current plans, be presented with our “alternative” plans, and vote yes on our plans.

Will you continue to help our cause and let your friends and family know to sign the petiton by simply clicking on the following link and filling in their info? http://signon.org/sign/city-of-oxnard-make-campus?source=s.em.cr&r_by=1523248&mailing_id=1425  We now have 136 online and over 170 paper signatures.  If each and every one of you get at least 3 people to sign, we can make it to over 700!  Can we do it?

I begin this story by going back to when I was a sophomore at Santa Clara High School in Oxnard, CA.  I was an academic standout and star basketball player with an athletic frame.  There were those who considered me to be overly handsome.  I had a witty sense of humor when I was in my comfort zone amongst my circle of friends.  I had everything going for me.  Except for one hang up–I didn’t know how to talk to girls since I was overwhelmingly shy.

Something happened when my mom subscribed me to the Prodigy Internet service in 1986.  I perused the message boards and connected with a few girls I recognized as being classmates.  I remember sending messages to them and they responding relatively quickly.  It was quite a thrill getting a response from girls via messaging.  Unfortunately, I was not able to connect with said girls outside of Prodigy-I figured i was just a late bloomer.

Fast forward to 1991.  I was accepted to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo as a Computer Science major.  The engineering classes were filled with guys and I was in an all male dorm, so once again I was unable to interact with girls.  I was in the computer lab 10 hours a day trying to get through the curriculum but unfortunately, I just couldn’t hack it.  I dropped out of Cal Poly after my freshman year.  After bringing up my grades while attending Ventura Community College, I transferred as a junior to University Califronia Santa Barbara.

Since I transferred to UCSB in ‘93 as a junior, I decided not to live in the dorms and found a studio apartment in the college town of Isla Vista.  Although UCSB is known as a party school, once again I literally did not talk to many girls my junior year.  I was so determined to spread my wings and socialize,  I decided to change my major to Psychology hoping I would be surrounded by beautiful girls–a much better girl to guy ratio than within the engineering department.

During my second year at UCSB, I shared an apartment with my new roommate, Joel.  At this time, UCSB rolled out their new campus wide DOS intranet service.  We were able to see a list of students who were currently online and we could connect with each other via chat, messages, screen interruption banners, and pokes.  I quickly became addicted to chatting online to any girl who would respond.  I became so charming online, I quickly starting setting meetings with the girls at the local campus coffee shop or I would invite them over to bbq’s or parties at our apartment.  Meeting young female students online was so much easier and less-intimidating for me.

My roommate Joel & I met  dozens of girls this way but there was one major issue.  These dates were completely in the dark.  We would get flirty with the girls online and ask them to describe themselves and have them compare themselves to movie stars yet oftentimes the comparisons were wanting and, perhaps, they felt the same about us.  It was always exciting to see what these girls were going to look like but inevitably we were usually disappointed and perhaps they were as well .

My roommate’s little sister decided to enroll at UCSB to be with her brother.  Everything changed one evening when I decided to hang out at my roommates sister’s dorm room.  I noticed a glossy magazine on her dresser and began to flip the pages.  It looked like a high school year book. It was called The Freshman Facebook.  I asked Jessica about it and she said the administration had distributed it to all the freshmen so they could make connections with their fellow dorm-mates.  Inside the pages, I found glossy color photos with first and last names, major selected, hometown, hobbies & interests.  I immediately gestured at my roommate and told him I had discovered gold!  I knew this was the missing step in our intranet dating efforts.  We could now cross reference the faceless list of names on the campus intranet and determine if the girls were a physical match by looking them up on the newly acquired freshman facebook.  We were also able to use the information provided (such as interests and hometowns) to break the ice and strike up online conversations.

After years of fine tuning my intranet charm,  I was finally able to parlay these skills offline and strike up conversation with women in person.  Once I graduated from college and moved to Los Angeles, however, I sensed a huge void since I no longer had access to the UCSB intranet or the facebooks.  It took me a few months to finally forget about the facebook connection.  During the last 14 years I truly had not thought about those days until I saw the facebook flick.

After watching The Social Network Movie, I started to reminisce about my facebook dating schemes and strategies.  How close was I to having something special?  I know people were using message boards to meet people but I wonder how many college students were using the freshman facebooks to cross reference the campus intranet in order to meet and make connections?  Was I one algorithm short of a master piece?   I am no Mark Zuckerberg, but it sure is fun looking back and thinking, “What if”?

I recently began to question dozens of my friends who attended various universities during the ‘90’s and I asked them if they had similar experiences with this new social network when they were in college.  To date, none knew of such a thing happening in the ‘90’s.  Evidently, most universities did not offer intranet services in general. Needless to say, “The Facebook” was not  something most university students were privy to.

Is it possible I was one of the pioneers by consistently using the campus facebook intranet connection and realizing how I could employ it as a tactic to assist me from emancipating myself from my shell of shyness?

Here is a snippet from Carolyn Herrera’s Realtor website:

Born and raised in Ventura County (Oxnard bound), attending local schools, married for 19 years to a native of Oxnard, and having two teenagers very active in sports makes me quite the expert in the local community. I have been a Realtor in Oxnard for 12 years, while serving as a Director for the Ventura County Coastal Association of Realtors the past 3 years, as well as serving on several committees. I support the Boys and Girls Clubs of Oxnard and Port Hueneme having served as a board member for several years, and I am an active parent at Oxnard High School. As a contributor to the Realtor Action Fund and the true cost of doing business, I believe is it my duty as a Realtor to fight for the rights of property owners in Ventura County as well for the rights of my fellow Realtors. My business is built on referrals and repeat clients who have come to rely on “Golden Rule” customer service.

The City of Oxnard, located in Ventura County, California, has in the last couple of years invested in many infrastructure improvements throughout the city.  Many dozens of roads have been repaved, major water and sewage lines replaced and repaired and the aesthetics of a few major thoroughfares have been enhanced with landscaping and the planting of trees.  Within the last four years or so, work crews could be found in various locations working on these major infrastructure improvements.  There’s no doubt millions of dollars trickled in from Washington, D.C. to help defray the costs of these projects.  Yet, there seem to some areas within the city’s borders which often are ignored.

Again, The City of Oxnard made many major improvements and modifications along a lot of thoroughfares in the city.  I’ve noticed this while driving through Ventura, Gonzales and Saviers Roads, to name a few.  If there is one major street within the city which can be considered Cinderella, I’d imagine that street would be Wooley Road, especially the two mile or so stretch between Rose Avenue and Ventura Road.  East of “Five Points” Wooley runs through industrial and commercial businesses yet while driving along, one notices a dearth of trees.  West of Five Points runs a train track in the middle of Wooley which eventually ends at a Naval Base in neighboring Port Hueneme.  There are two schools nearby.  One is an elementary school; the other is a Junior High School.  This writer attended both in the late 1960s/early 1970s and back then, as now, many students walk to and from school along Wooley.  There has not been one tree planted along that road since I was a child and trekked to school.  The twenty-foot wide division which separates east and west-bound traffic and where the freight trains flow still have the same, sad sorry-looking scrubs of shrubs that have been there since my formative years.

A block south of Wooley is Durley Park, which runs along “Hill Street” (I have always assumed it was named Hill Street due to a 20 foot hill which is located in the park.  It seems to be the only hill in this city of 200,000 or so, as Oxnard rests on an agricultural plain bordering the Pacific Ocean).  Within the park are two towers, made of cement.  Just as the shrubs along Wooley, these hideous looking towers have been in the park since I was a kid playing flag football and Little League baseball.  At one point, it seems, they were constructed for the purposes of storing sewage water.  They look like they were built in Eastern Europe during the Cold War and for the last many years have been constantly and consistently targeted by taggers with aerosol cans in hands.  I’m certain The City of Oxnard would never consider, let alone finance, the demolition of these twin eyesores.  About five years ago after noticing the city’s “Graffiti Action and Removal” trucks painting over the most recent tags, I thought Oxnard’s parks department should plant fast growing ivy to cover the concrete cylinders.  Instead of cement and hundreds of squares of paint where the graffiti crews have covered-up the tags, the towers would be covered in lovely green in matching the grass throughout the park.  I wrote a letter to the park’s department, followed-up with a few phone calls and even stopped a city work in a truck (which had the parks department logo on the side).  I pointed at the towers and shared with her my idea concerning the ivy.  “That’s a great idea!” she responded. That was five years ago.  The graffiti trucks continue to return on a regular basis to cover-up the tags.  I’d imagine The City of Oxnard has spent a few thousand dollars in paint and labor costs since I shared my thoughts about planting ivy with city officials.

Those are two areas I would like to see improved.  For the sake of brevity, I won’t even comment in this article about how many departments within The City of Oxnard have consistently and historically ignored the “La Colonia” neighborhood.  Perhaps I will share some thoughts on that section of town in a later article.