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Community Corner

Briercrest Park Is a Rare Gem that Caters to the Senses

La Mesa's redesigned Briercrest Park, called a "little gem" by one user, is designed as a sensory experience for young and old.

Not many city parks have an herb garden, a big climbing rock and an array of giant xylophones.

has all those features, plus artwork from local school kids imbedded in walls, little arch bridges over a meandering dry creek bed and stained glass windows in the bathrooms.

There’s no softball field or basketball hoop and no place flat enough for a pickup soccer game.

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This is no ordinary city park.

“We love this park,” says Patricia Schenkelberg, 43, a La Mesa resident who often brings her two children, ages 8 and 5, to Briercrest. “It’s a little gem, kind of hidden away.”

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Located on Wakarusa Street in La Mesa, Briercrest is indeed off the radar, a 3-acre patch of undulating grass tucked to the east of behind and across the 125 Freeway next to the Herrick Community Health Library.

Briercrest was given a complete makeover in 2006, redesigned and regraded to create a park more suited for young children and older adults. In essence, it’s the newest of La Mesa’s 14 city parks, says Yvonne Garrett, La Mesa’s assistant city manager and director of community services.

She calls the new Briercrest “more of a passive environment” and a “sensory place.”

A paved walking path loops through the park to give seniors, local residents and patients from nearby clinics a place to stroll.

Children can play in the sand box, bang on the xylophones, explore the dry creek bed, climb on the rock (or smaller animal structures) or tumble and roll down the grassy mounds.

“It’s a very tactile place,” says Katie Bourus, a 28-year-old La Mesa mom who was watching her two children play in the sand box. “The music, the sand box … it has a real natural landscape. It’s very peaceful.”

Former reservoir site

Years ago, the site was the location of a reservoir.

Then came the first incarnation of Briercrest Park, a two-level open space consisting of a large dirt parking lot and a sports field.

The Briercrest $1.5 million renovation was part of the city’s parks project master plan and was funded entirely by grant funds.

Not only was it designed to be a more sensory park, but it is environmentally friendly as well. Drought-resistant native plants are a big part of the landscape.

“We’re pretty proud of it,” says Garrett. “If you’d seen what it looked like before, it’s much more of an attractive space now.”

In fact, in 2007 the San Diego Architectural Foundation honored the park – designed by the Schmidt Design Group Inc. – with an “Orchid” for landscape architecture.

Said the judges: “How often do public parks have stained glass windows in the restrooms? Briercrest Park proves that ‘green’ really is beautiful.”

A place to stroll

As she sat at one of the covered picnic tables with a book one afternoon this week, Schenkelberg watched her daughter and nephew playing nearby.

She says she often sees patients, nurses and doctors from the nearby medical offices come to the park to walk in the sun or meet their families for a picnic lunch.

Helen Funk, 77, is one of those frequent walkers.

She says she has to come to a nearby lab every two weeks and makes a point to stroll through the park each visit. Or, she’ll bring a cup of coffee and sit and watch the kids play. Other times, she brings her 3-year-old granddaughter to the park.

The only drawback, she says, is there’s not enough shade. When the park was renovated, little trees were planted. They’re bigger now but still don’t provide enough shade in the summer.

“When those trees get bigger, it will be better,” she says.

Schenkelberg says one of the things she likes best about the park is it’s well maintained.

“As a mother,” she says, laughing, “I like a clean bathroom.”

The paved path gives her kids a chance to ride their scooters, she says, but they also like to explore the creek bed and climb the big rock that – like all the play structures – is surrounded by thick, bouncy rubber matting.

And, as a professional musician – she plays both the flute and piccolo – Schenkelberg believes the musical play area is “fabulous.”

“Ever since my husband discovered this park, we’ve loved it,” she says. “La Mesa does a good job with its parks, but this is our favorite. It’s beautiful.”

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