Photo by Eddie Ledesma, Contra Costa Times Artist Susan Schwartzenberg visits the Rosie the Riveter Memorial Park to make sure the memeorial is built as planned. These parks have to exist in areas of diverse and conflicting needs and interests. Places of historical significance are owned or used by a variety of people, including some who might not be interested in a park. Old buildings might be deteriorating or covered by layers of modernization. Important sites might be gone, or be threatened by the economic push to redevelop old quarters of a city.
Funding is a huge hurdle.
The Park Service rarely has enough money to do more than get a project started. What it takes to succeed, planners say, is tremendous community collaboration and vision. It takes experience to realize that Richmond's history can be as glorious as any building or natural park. As the lead agency in establishing Richmond's park, the Park Service has identified a dozen significant buildings and structures around the city's south shoreline, site of the once-booming World War II shipyards. The sites, in varied condition, represent a mix of public and private ownership.