Shields-Reid Park reopens in North Richmond after $11.9 million renovation

North Richmond marked the completion of a nearly $12 million overhaul of Shields-Reid Park on Saturday, drawing city and county officials and the family of Charles Reid, the longtime park director for whom the site is named.

The event combined a celebratory ribbon-cutting with the neighborhood's annual music festival — the first performances on the park's new stage.

The finished park includes a new children's play area, a bike pump track, a performance stage, a fitness zone, a habitat garden, a zip line, a new restroom, and an artificial-turf multi-use sports field with new lighting and a scoreboard. The adjacent community center also received exterior repairs and upgraded furnishings.

The project was funded by an $8 million grant that the city won in 2022 from the California State Parks Statewide Park Development and Community Revitalization Program, tied to the "Outdoors for All" initiative, plus $3.9 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds added by the Richmond City Council.

City staff said the design grew out of seven community meetings held in 2020, where more than 200 residents asked for a park that reflected North Richmond's own history, its blues and jazz scene, its sports tradition, and its sense of community.

The neighborhood's history now shows throughout the park in commissioned public art, including a mosaic of Reid throwing a baseball, a "mini blues club" tribute to the neighborhood once known as the "Harlem of the West," and several sculptures and murals created with community input.

Reid served as the park's superintendent and recreation director for about 30 years until his death in 1979. Local officials said the renovation carries forward his legacy of using the park to serve area youth.

Mayor Eduardo Martinez offered some local history, explaining the park was originally called Shields Park, after the subdivision in which it was built, and that Reid's name was added later.

"While it stands on historic ground, what we celebrate today is a completely transformed space, with new courts, a new playground, beautiful public art, modern amenities, and a new opportunity for the next generation of families to gather, to play, and to build a community," Martinez said.

Reid's granddaughter, Rosalind Randle, spoke on behalf of the family.
"Standing here in this beautiful space, looking out at all your faces, I'm overwhelmed with gratitude, and I know my grandfather would be too," Randle said. "He believed down to his core that no one should have to walk through life alone. He envisioned a place where kids could play safely, where neighbors could lean on one another, and where everyone, no matter their story, could find a sense of belonging. While he isn't here with us today to see his dream fully realized, I feel his spirit in this community."

The celebration ended with a ribbon-cutting led by the Reid family, followed by North Richmond's annual music festival.

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