Pittsburg asks residents what Small World Park should become

Pittsburg is asking residents what they want Small World Park to be, and the answers will go into a grant application rather than a suggestion box.

The city opened an online survey this week on the future of the park. Staff started the conversation in person at a booth at National Night Out on Tuesday, Aug. 4, talking with residents about what is planned and collecting first reactions. The survey opens the same question to people who were not there.

The city is preparing an application to the Statewide Park Development and Community Revitalization Program, a competitive grant run by the California Department of Parks and Recreation. If Pittsburg wins, the money could pay for significant work at Small World Park.

Here is why the survey carries weight. Community input is a required part of that application, and the state scores applications in part on how directly residents were involved in shaping the design. What residents say now is one of the things the city is judged on, and it shapes what the city proposes in the first place.

The survey asks two things: what people value about the park as it is today, and what they want for it. The city has not published a list of candidate improvements, which is the point of asking first.

The survey link is on the city's announcement page. Questions go to Natasha Farmer at NFarmer@pittsburgca.gov.

Two things the city has not said: when the survey closes, and when the state decides. Anyone with an opinion about the park should not wait to find out.