Once the bustling heart of Richmond, Nicholl Park was where families gathered, children played and local businesses thrived. But over the decades, the park’s energy faded, and it fell into disarray in the ‘90s.
In the last few years, however, a myriad of nonprofits and community groups, along with the city, have worked to restore its vibrancy. And this fall, one of those nonprofits, who’s been particularly focused on the park, YES Nature to Neighborhoods, plans to break ground on an expansion of their center — the first major construction project along Macdonald Avenue in nearly 40 years, besides the Target store and BART station project.
For 26 years, YES Nature to Neighborhoods has empowered local youths and families, many of whom were historically excluded from outdoor spaces, offering nature excursions, leadership programs and fostering public space stewardship.
It has grown significantly over the years, currently serving more than 500 people, so the space needs to grow too, executive director Eric Aaholm told Richmondside. He said they could have moved elsewhere, but it made sense to stay in the heart of Richmond.
At-a-glance
Who: YES Nature to Neighborhoods is a Richmond-based nonprofit that teaches locals leadership skills through outdoor recreation and environmental action.
What: The group is demolishing its existing building to build a new center. A groundbreaking celebration is planned for Sept. 27.
Where: 3029 Macdonald Ave., across from Nicholl Park
More info: Visit www.yesfamilies.org
“We felt really strongly that we wanted to keep our identity here in this space and next to the park,” Aaholm said. “We can’t ignore there’s been a big period of change that’s taken place here, but we can be a part of giving a nod to history and also to what’s to come for this community.”
The building project, funded through a mix of public grants and private donors, is a tangible marker of the neighborhood’s cultural resurgence. It’s expected to take 20 months to complete.
The current building represents the former glory of Richmond’s downtown. The art deco style, one-story, 2,700-square-foot structure used to be a dental office with a garden space in the back. It was built in the 1940s, when Macdonald Avenue was at its prime and Nicholl Park was the “hub of the city.”
“There was a petting zoo there, golf, bowling greens. People would come on Sunday afternoons after church and spend the day there with their family,” Aaholm said.
The organization is paying tribute to that history, with the front of its new 5,200-square-foot two-story building featuring a rounded art-deco style shape. The current property will be demolished, and the new building will rise on its footprint and on an adjacent vacant lot purchased in 2021.
The $6 million project will increase the usable outdoor space, adding a fire pit, native landscaping for environmental education, a storage center for all the camping and outdoor gear, meeting spaces and seating for up to 80 people to host graduations and larger events.
The new building will be covered in wood panels and will invite in natural light to represent the connection to nature. Inside there will be more meeting rooms, work stations with internet access and project work space, murals and other art celebrating Richmond. There will also be a full kitchen to host cooking classes for youths.
The renovation not only marks a physical change for Macdonald Avenue, but a cultural one.
“Having a space where people feel again a sense of belonging, a sense of calm, a sense of groundedness is what we want to create,” Aaholm said. “And what we believe the citizenry or the residents here deserve.”
Youths ask community what it wants Nicholl Park to be like
The nonprofit has sought to revitalize the area in more ways than one. A primary focus has been upgrading Nicholl Park through youth advocacy. Earlier this year, students created a community garden filled with spearmint, rosemary, sage and lavender. A cohort of 14- and 15-year-olds, known as camp-to-community leaders, have been surveying local residents and park visitors to learn more about what the community would like to see there.
Ean Avila, a freshman at Making Waves Academy, said it was a great experience talking to the community to understand, “not just what the city council thinks, but (what) will the people there actually want.”
He said since the nonprofit has collected information, the city of Richmond has made “groundbreaking progress,” by renovating the outside of the bathroom by adding murals and a new garden area.
This summer, the city will begin work on a new Macdonald Avenue crosswalk that will include curb extensions, flashing beacons and a pedestrian island that will connect the organization’s new building to the park.
“So there’s small changes to a long-term goal which should be to obviously make Nicholl Park the best park possible,” Avila said.
Avila joined YES Nature to Neighborhoods in middle school as a ranger. Children can join the nonprofit as young as 8 as explorers (8 to 10-year olds), working their way up to rangers (11 to13-year-olds); camp-to-community leaders (14- and 15-year-olds); and fellows (16 to 18). At each step, students have access to experiences such as canoeing or camping, and as they get older can prepare research projects or take classes.
He said the excursions such as camping, ziplining and fishing “opened a whole new world” for him.
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“These were experiences that to Richmond, a lot of kids, they never get to do.”
— Ean Avila, freshman at Making Waves Academy
“I used to think this is something only for rich people or people who only saved up a lot of money,” Avila told Richmondside. “These were experiences that to Richmond, a lot of kids, they never get to do, or if they do get to do, they do it like way far out to adulthood.”
Avila said he’s paying those experiences forward and now teaches younger children how to start a fire or set up a tent. His goal after graduating from college is to become a politician who can bring more resources to Richmond.
Though Richmond as acres of green space, some children grow up seeing little of it
Aaholm said connecting children to the outdoors is a particularly unique opportunity for Richmond because the city has 6,528 acres of green space — more than any other city in the Bay Area.
However, in the Iron Triangle neighborhood, where many program participants live, there are only 22 acres of open space. So, it’s critical to connect youths to places outside of their immediate neighborhood.
More than 13,000 Richmond residents have participated in programs offered by YES Nature to Neighborhoods and have benefited from the excursions and opportunities for leadership. The organization touts that 100% of teen participants graduate from high school and 85% enroll in college. About 65% of its adult leadership program participants go on to hold seats on school or community committees.
Richmondside spoke with a group of camp-to-community leaders working on revitalizing Nicholl Park, many of whom echoed Avila’s sentiments. To protect student privacy, the nonprofit requested that Richmondside not publish student’s full names.
Naomi, a 16-year-old in the program, said her years at YES Nature to Neighborhoods gave her confidence and leadership skills.
“Once I’m out of high school, I’m trying to start my own cosmetology business, so having a leadership position here can also help me reign later in the future, once I want to start something new and run something on my own,” Naomi said.
Alexis, also 16 years old, said the experience has helped her decide what she wants to do with her life.
“I learned a lot about civil rights and a lot of leadership over there,” Alexis said. “It made me decide that I wanted to become a lawyer when I grow up. And I care a lot about justice.”
The camp-to-community leaders were discussing the new building before heading out to set up a table at Nicholl Park to talk to park visitors. They shared that it’s bittersweet because many of them have spent the better part of their lives in the old building, but they are excited for the new facilities.
Aaholm encouraged the students to share any features they would like to see.
“At the end of the day, this building is going to outlive me. It’s going to outlive a lot of us. And it’s about creating a space for you guys and the generations of students that come after you,” Aaholm told the 15 students gathered. “So we want it to really look and feel like a space that you feel good about coming home to.”
