Hamilton Man Pushing for New Park

When Radz Zalewski was a child, he and his mother would often go on walks around Hamilton, excursions that took them along the Ammo Hill trail and up the levee.

Zalewski’s mother, Susan Sheridan, loved the outdoors and helping people, according to her son. Her day job was in software, but when not working Sheridan loved gardening and leading art programs at a local elementary school. She also volunteered at a senior residential facility, bringing her cat so that the elderly residents could bond with the animal.

Sheridan died in 2007 from brain cancer and Zalewski, now 28, vowed to honor her memory by building a park at Ammo Hill.

“My mother was a great advocate for nature,” he said recently. “She pretty much knew every plant by its scientific name and could identify many birds.”

In 2008, Zalewski created the Susan Sheridan Memorial Foundation and set about looking for ways to build a park at Ammo Hill. He has made presentations to City Council, met with city staff and applied for grants from other foundations.

He hasn't gotten very far.

That’s because the land is owned by the city of Novato, which has its own plans for a recreational complex, complete with baseball fields, volleyball courts, an amphitheater, even a pond with paddleboats. Many moved to the area expecting that the recreational facilities would soon be built and enjoy the proximity to the water.

“It’s a dream plan, but recreational facilities in Novato are partially funded by residential development,” said Pam Shinault, the city's director of parks, recreation and community services. “We’ve been at the mercy of commercial partners and with the economy being what it is, the project hasn’t gotten very far.”

Numerous developers have expressed an interest in the area, but so far, no one has submitted plans to the city.

Officially, the land around Ammo Hill and Landfill 26 is off limits to residents, with posted signs telling passerby that they are trespassing.

But according to Zalewski, hundreds of people already use the area, walking their dogs, jogging and climbing the 150-foot Ammo Hill to take in spectacular views from the mesa.

“Citizens use this land everyday despite poor trail conditions and a lack of proper signage to separate existing wetland and riparian habitats from main trails,” Zalewski said. “There is more and more development in Hamilton; if we’re going to preserve any of the remaining lands for free parks, we need to do so now, before it’s too late.”

This Sunday, Zalewski and a group of volunteers will be walking Hamilton to conduct a survey of how residents use the area. He then plans to use the data as evidence that Ammo Hill is heavily utilized and should become more of a priority for the city.

Click here to take the parks survey

Zalewski cites a 2012 study by the Marin Community Foundation that found that Hamilton has less available parkland per capita than many other areas of the county. For example, while the recommended ratio is 3 acres to 5 acres of open space per 1,000 people, Hamilton has only .83 acres available, according to the study.

Hamilton residents were also found to be more overweight that people in other parts of Marin and have some of the shortest life spans in the county, living to an average age of 75 compared to 88 years of age in Ross.

As part of the improvements, Zalewski wants to take down the chain link fence that he says prevents deer, coyote and other wildlife from accessing the land and put in a split level wooden fence and proper signage that clearly delineates where visitors can walk and which are has sensitive native plants. 

“The city doesn’t seem to want to work with me to find that money…and they don’t want to do anything because they don’t want to encourage more people to walk there,” he said.

Keeping the area off limits only encourages poor use of the space, such as the homeless who build encampments there and start fires, teens who use the bunkers as graffiti canvasses for and leave behind broken bottles and trash. 

Shinault, the parks and rec director, says that's simply not the case. She says part of the reason residents are not allowed in the area is that the wetlands restoration is in full swing and construction trucks ferrying dredge and other material can pose a danger to pedestrians.

City Manager Michael Frank also disputes that the area is an eyesore Novato has turned a blind eye to, saying that the city welcomes community groups who want to host a neighborhood cleanup in the area.

But, he says, at a time when the city is facing a budget deficit, a new park in Hamilton is simply not possible.

“We’re trying to maintain the parks that we already have, not create new ones,” Frank said.

What do you think? Do you walk in/around Ammo Hill? How important is a park in that area?