Truesdell Park (2629 W 10th St) has been the heart of Historic St. Andrews for generations — the one place our kids can walk to swing, slide, and play under huge, centuries-old live oaks.

For families here, Truesdell isn’t just a park. It’s the safe, quiet heart of our neighborhood we all share. Little kids climb and run while parents finally relax in the cool shade. No loud music, no big crowds, no splash-pad chaos — just laughter and memories.

Many of us walk here because it’s the only playground our children can reach without crossing busy 10th or 11th Streets.

Across the street is Oaks by the Bay Park. It’s beautiful, but it’s home to weddings, farmers markets, and big events. Crossing with little ones is genuinely dangerous — cars fly by and there’s no safe crosswalk. Even when the city eventually adds the small playground they’ve promised at Oaks by the Bay (a year or more away and limited by sacred burial-ground rules), it will never replace Truesdell’s calm, shady, low-stimulation space that toddlers, kids with sensory needs, and grandparents all love.

Now the city plans to rip out our playground — still protected by an active state grant (removal isn’t even legal yet) — and pave most of Truesdell for a 65-space parking lot (Bid PC26-002 closes November 25).

We’re not against parking. We just want common sense.

Our fair solution:  
• Shrink the lot to 30–35 spaces (more than enough)  
• Keep and upgrade the playground right here under the big oaks  
• Turn the 1960s clubhouse (built by the St. Andrews Civic Club) into an affordable public pavilion for birthdays, meetings, and community gatherings

**Keep Truesdell Park a playground, not a parking lot.**

We urge:  
Mayor Allan Branch  
Commissioners Robbie Hughes, Janice Lucas, Brian Grainger, and Josh Street  
City Manager Jonathan Hayes  
Parks & Recreation Department

to revise Bid PC26-002 immediately and protect the quiet, shady heart of our neighborhood.

Our kids are counting on us. Sign and share today — let’s pack the December 9 commission meeting with everyone who loves Truesdell exactly the way it is.

**Don’t pave paradise to build a parking lot.**