One step at a time, we're making progress!
Our steering committee
Our latest updates
Since our steering committee first got to work in 2017 and launched our initiative to build a new recreation center, we have made substantial progress. We started as an advocacy campaign to make the aging recreation center at Lincoln Park a City priority. Since then we've gotten a lot closer to making this community vision a reality. Here are just a few of our most recent highlights:
The City of Oakland allocated $1.7 million toward the hiring of a Design Team. After a thorough vetting process, Shaw Kawasaki Architects was selected for the project. Located just a few blocks from Lincoln Recreation Center, they will bring a good understanding of the needs of the area, and how to coordinate these with best practices for building a state of the art facility.
We give many thanks to the Lawrence Choy Lowe Memorial Fund for funding a major marketing effort, taking Lincoln Rec to the next step in terms of branding and marketing. This project will also help with updating our website and increasing our social media presence.
Through a combined effort, the City of Oakland and FOLSP submitted a proposal to the State of California for a Prop 68 grant. Fingers crossed we receive news in September that we have received the requested $8.5 million grant. This will allow us to have the necessary funds for the structure, but continuous fundraising will be needed to furnish the interior, provide landscaping, and include the extras the community would like to see in the new building.
Building in good sustainability practices will be a big part of the new recreation center and members of the Steering Committee and city staff have been attending monthly meetings on this subject.
While we are very proud of these large steps, fundraising will continue to be a large part of this effort. We are continuing to raise funds to:
Hire a part-time project coordinator to work together with the City of Oakland and the Design Team, and be the liaison to the neighborhood and the various constituent groups.
Engage a professional Capital Campaign Consultant to raise the approximately $5 million we believe we will need to have the desired state of the art facility. And with ever increasing building costs, this figure will continue to rise as time goes on.
Produce web content, print brochures and additional informational videos.
The time is here, we are ready to move forward, and it cannot happen without YOU!
You may make a tax-deductible donation securely here on our website.