Click this link for the four page newsletter: https://saveourparktrees.files.wordpress.com/2023/03/winter-spring-newsletter-2023.pdf
28 Feb
Jeffrey Fontana Park Memorial Rose Garden Pruning
It was a privilege to witness and be part of the neighborhood initiative of rose garden pruning, weeding, and cleanup at Jeffrey Fontana Park on McAbee Rd & Golden Oak Way. Thanks to the partnership of the Martin-Fontana Parks Association (MFPA), Santa Clara County Association of Realtors (SCCAOR), and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints volunteers, they were able to complete the task beautifully and on time.
As someone who does not garden due to a lack of a green thumb, I was impressed with everyone’s ability to prune rose bushes and lay mulch with enthusiasm to make the park beautiful and ready for spring. As I had a chance to meet and speak with a few of the leaders, Kelly Sheppard and Linda Wilson, I was humbled by their love and passion for their project and their hard work to make their neighborhood beautiful and welcoming.
It was my absolute pleasure to see the neighbors and volunteers coming and working together to beautify our neighborhood-shared park. I am looking forward to many more such events.
Arjun Batra
District 10 Councilmember
*Councilmember Batra is the first Indian-American on the council since Ash Kalra, now a member of the California Assembly. Batra, an engineer, was a manager at Intel and IBM.
31 Oct
Heart of the Park a HUGE success!
Thank you to all of you who came out Saturday for our annual event. It was a great joy to see so many people come out and a be a part of this event. We enjoyed the music of UKoolLadies while eating delicious food from the Aikita food truck. The SJPD were out in full force handing out ice cream to everyone. We pulled in new members and gave away some great raffle items.
The kids painted pumpkins and had their faces painted.
Thank you to all the environmental groups who came out and represented as well as Council 10.
See you all next year!
11 Oct
Heart of the Park – Get those dog costumes ready!
Each year during the Heart of the Park event at Jeffery Fontana Park event we host the Strut Your Mutt Dog Parade with prizes for the top winners. We hope to see many beautiful dogs dressed to the nines! The full event runs from 1pm – 3:30pm.
Look forward to seeing all the entries!
26 Sep
Jeffrey Fontana Park Beautification Project
Oct 01, 8:30 AM – 11:30 AM
1280-1290 Oakglen Way, San Jose, CA
Help restore the health and beauty of the west end of Jeffrey Fontana park! Tools, water and snacks will be provided. We suggest you bring your own gloves and wear protective shoes, shirts with sleeves, and jeans to cover your legs! STUDENTS UNDER THE AGE OF 18 MUST HAVE WRITTEN PARENT PERMISSION. Community service hours will be provided to students who volunteer.
Workday volunteers who attend our Heart of the Park event on October 29th will get a free large pumpkin!https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.eventbrite.com/e/jeffrey-fontana-park-beautification-project-tickets-420771297277__;!!Mt_FR42WkD9csi9Y!cfPraezIKqNuzgYJWXAIWf1UGtdK6w8AEIS8ZpUe6bo9omMo7Glvpyl32MPnDbHOqIV5ds1eKkPc5hLZ89-0sn7clRs$
17 May
It’s Spring Cleanup at Jeffrey Fontana Park
A big THANKS to Michele LaPlante, our Martin-Fontana Parks Association (MFPA) Volunteer Coordinator, and Michele Dexter, the Community Relations representative from the District 10 City Council office for their coordination on a successful “Spring Cleaning” Saturday May 7th at the Jeffrey Fontana Memorial Rose Garden and the California native plant garden on McAbee Road.
Volunteers from the Santa Clara County Association of REALTORS met for their annual spring clean up of the rose garden, as well as some weeding and pruning on the east side of McAbee at the CA native garden. They were joined by a large group of volunteers from the Church of the Latter Day Saints. The volunteers filled a large Parks, Recreation & Neighborhood Services (PRNS) dump truck twice, with green waste from weeding, pruning, and trimming the trees and plants in the gardens.
Thanks also, to the PRNS Volunteer Unit, who came out Saturday morning with all the tools and wheelbarrows needed for the cleanup effort.
PRNS Volunteer Coordinator, Sue Bowling, helped with the sign in and MFPA member Chris Reed was there to give guidance in the native garden work area. Together, all the helping hands put in a morning of great effort to create two garden spaces that all the park community can enjoy.
*Thanks to our new MFPA photographer, Jack Wollenweber, a Bellarmine College Preparatory school student for all the nice photos.
26 Jan
Finally, a Dream is becoming a Reality
Several years ago, Martin-Fontana Park Association members, Gail and Chuck Haywood,
had a dream of having a smooth patch of lawn where people and dogs could relax under the trees by the dog park. They eventually moved out of the area, but before they left, they donated $2000 to MFPA in the hope that someday their dream would become a reality.
Last year the San Jose City Council, with the urging of D-10 Councilman Matt Mahan’s office, set aside park funding for a pilot turf project in Jeffrey Fontana Park in front of the dog park. A combination of $7000 from the D-10 Council office, $15,000 from Martin-Fontana Parks Association, and $20,000 from the San Jose Neighborhood Parks and Recreation Services Department. NPRS is funding this pilot project in our park as a way to determine if gopher wire can be an effective means of protecting the turf in our parks.
In mid-January of 2022, the work of removing old turf and rocks from the park area began. When that step Is completed, PRNS will lay gopher wire in the bare space and plant turf over the wire. The project will eventually expand to the entire turf area in front of the dog park.
When you visit the park make sure to follow the progress of this pilot endeavor to create a safe turf area for playing, picnicking, and relaxing.
*Here’s a link from a previous posting with more info: https://martinfontanaparksassociation.blog/2021/09/11/the-chuck-and-gail-haywood-project/.
MARTIN-FONTANA PARKS ASSOCIATION 