Renovation of the field is funded by the West Contra Costa Unified School District.

Castro Park’s field is a highly used, natural turf athletic field. The project will fully renovate the field. During summer 2015, the contractor:

• broke up and amended the clay soils to facilitate deeper root growth and drainage throughout the outfield
• graded the turf area to provide a more level play area and to facilitate better drainage
• renovated the existing, outdated irrigation system to be more water efficient
• installed living turf sod throughout the outfield and on the sidelines and a new warning track to demarcate the edge of the field, and
• replaced unused turf areas on slopes with bark mulch

The field will remain closed to the public until further notice in order to establish the newly installed turf. The closure is in effect 24 hours a day, on both weekdays and weekends. Please stay off the grass while the roots grow. Playing or walking on the field before official opening will create depressions, destroy the roots, and damage the field.

The playground area at Castro Park remains open to the public and can be accessed via the entrance near the clubhouse on Norvell Street. the tennis courts and BBQ area on Lawrence Street also remain open.

For more information about the construction project, please contact the El Cerrito Public Works Department at 215-4382.

City-School Partnership

Renovation of the Castro Park field is a joint effort by the West Contra Costa Unified School District and the City.

Castro Park is adjacent to Fred T. Korematsu Middle School, (currently under construction) at 7125 Donal Avenue in El Cerrito.

Due to the age of the field, poor drainage, increasing usage by athletic leagues, as well as impacts related to the construction of Korematsu Middle School and the District's future plans to use the field beginning in January 2016, the City and District both determined renovation of the athletic field was necessary. The District funded $250,000 for design and construction services. The City is managing the design and construction work and will continue to be responsible for maintenance of the field in the future.

Korematsu Middle School / Castro Park Community Meeting

On Tuesday, September 22, 2015, City staff, West Contra Costa Unified School District staff, and an AC Transit representative hosted a community meeting the public was invited to:

• Receive information on school traffic, parking and shared-use of park
• Learn about City and District proposed efforts to respond to neighborhood concerns and next steps
• Ask City and District staff questions and provide comments and feedback

The agenda, presentation, and meeting summary are available here:

Agenda
Presentation
Meeting Summary