Ragle
Ranch Regional Park Playground
Park History
Ragle Ranch Regional Park has served residents of the west county for more than thirty years. The 157 acres of land that comprise this park were purchased in 1976 using State Park Bond Act funds. The park was officially opened in 1977 to limited public use, such as hiking and picnicking and, in1979, the Gravenstein Apple Fair began holding its two-day event in the park.
The master plan and environmental document for the park were completed in 1982. The plan limited the development of active recreational facilities to the upper 40 acres of the park along Ragle Road.
The back 117 acres in the Atascadero Creek Watershed were identified in the master plan for preservation, nature study, and trail development.
 In the mid-1980’s, the first playground was constructed in the park. The original wood play structure and most of the labor for its installation were donated by the Sebastopol Rotary Club. In addition to the Rotary Club donation, Mr. Russ Tighe donated a cave slide to the park in 1989.
During the 1990’s, with the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act and changes to playground safety guidelines, it was determined that the original play structure could not be renovated for accessibility and safety. The wood structure also had several problems with failing timbers and posts. For these reasons, the play structure was removed from the park.
 At that time, funding had been identified for a new pre-school age play structure, but not to replace the dismantled school age play structure.
In 1995, a new pre-school age (3-5 year old) play structure and swings were installed in the same playground location.
This new play area met both current disabled access and safety requirements, but did not provide play challenges for school age (5-12 year old) children.
In addition to losing the school age play structure, the wood post and beam exercise area adjacent to the play area had to be removed due to safety concerns. This left only the perimeter par course elements available for physical fitness activities.
Children’s Health Concerns
With the current health crisis affecting children all over the country, play and other forms of active recreation are needed to combat against child obesity, diabetes and a host of other related problems associated with high fat diets and sedentary lifestyles. Visit the Athens Ohio Library's Child Obesity page for more information on the causes, potential health problems, and what you can do to help your child grow up strong and healthy.
In 2007, Governor Schwarzenegger and a group of state-appointed recreation, parks and tourism members unveiled the California Children’s Bill of Rights. This proclamation listed ten (10) activities for kids to experience before their teenage years. The Press Democrat published a "Passport to Parks" article which highlights the Bill.
Programs & Commitments to Children’s Health
Unfortunately the state did not allocate the funding or develop the programs to get the children involved in any of these activities. They placed the fiscal burden and administrative task of developing and implementing the programs on local recreation agencies and other groups. Sonoma County Regional Parks has partnered with California State Parks to provide the Children’s Outdoor Passport Program  .
Community Process and Funding for the New Playground
Regional Parks is committed to providing recreational opportunities for children of all ages and abilities. We want to work with the community on the planning and design of a playground that will encourage and stimulate physical activity and provide opportunities for creative play and social interaction.
Staff, community resources and funding are critical components for the implementation of any program or project, especially in these difficult economic times. Regional Parks has committed staff to facilitate the community planning, design, and construction of this new playground. In addition, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors has committed $130,000 in Transient Occupancy Tax funding, commonly called “bed taxes”, to the purchase of new play equipment for the park. Regional Parks has also received a $65,000 Community Development Block Grant to fund the playground site improvements, such as accessible paths of travel, playground surfacing, drinking fountain, benches and other amenities. The project cost is estimated at $250,000 to $300,000, so additional grant and local funding is needed to complete the project.
The Sonoma County Regional Parks Foundation has agreed to help sponsor this project. The Foundation will be working in the community to raise additional funding and in-kind donations and services from groups and individuals that have supported Ragle Ranch Regional Park over the last thirty years. To learn more, visit the Sonoma County Regional Parks Foundation site.
What You Can Do To Help
- Participate in the planning and design workshop
- Help energize and organize others in the community to participate in the process
- Work with the Regional Parks Foundation to organize fund-raising efforts and in-kind donations in the community
- Make tax-deductible contributions through the Foundation specifically for this project
- Volunteer services that can assist with the construction of the playground
Tentative Schedule
October 2009:Public Planning & Design Workshop
October-November 2009:Design Development
December 2009:Final Design
December-February 2010:Preparation of Improvement Plans
March 2010:Project Bidding
April-June 2010:Project Construction
July 2010:Playground Dedication
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