Turning Tiny Park Into Urban Oasis

The triangular plot of land at Flower Street and North Park Boulevard is barely large enough to be called a park.

But Sarah May Downie Park--so small it doesn’t even have a sign--is an urban oasis to local residents who are restoring the one-eighth-acre site.

“It was like a little, peaceful piece of land that most people didn’t really notice,” Amanda Booth, a nearby resident who is leading the restoration project, said. “But others did notice, and I wanted to see something beautiful.”

When Booth, 38, started strolling past the park several years ago, the site had fallen into neglect. Some of the trees were nearly dead, and rose bushes were withering.

Santa Ana resident Adeline Walker helped maintain the park before she died in 1985. After her death, the city slowly drew back from maintenance efforts because of budget restrictions, said Ron Ono, Recreation and Community Services design manager.

While the city has contributed at least $10,000 worth of equipment and employee hours to refurbish the park, about $90,000 more came from community fund-raising efforts and volunteer time.

Booth and some of her neighbors started the push to refurbish the park about three years ago by forming the Santa Ana Garden Club.

Now, large concrete planters dot the park’s edges. A small row of heart-shaped, concrete blocks forms a path. And the lifeless trees have been removed.

Last week, volunteers began planting herbs and other plants including rosebushes and tea leaves. And they don’t want to stop there. A gazebo, lamppost and arched entryways are planned.

“We just blew them [the city] away,” Booth said. “I think they thought we were going to plant a few pansies and call it a day.”