Fremont Central Park

{{Short description|Large public space in the East Bay}} [[File:Fremont Central Park April 2011 002.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Fremont Central Park, with [[Lake Elizabeth (Northern California)|Lake Elizabeth]] at the left and the park at [[Mission Peak]] in the background.]] '''Fremont Central Park''' is a {{convert|450|acre|sing=on}} manmade park in the central area of [[Fremont, California]] on Paseo Padre Parkway at Stevenson Boulevard. It is accessible from [[Interstate 880 (California)|I-880]] and [[Interstate 680 (California)|I-680]]. It began development in 1960, and contains [[Lake Elizabeth (Northern California)|Lake Elizabeth]], a shallow {{convert|83|acre|sing=on}} man made lake surrounded by picnic areas, sports fields, and walking and biking paths. The lake was dedicated to Fremont's [[sister city]], [[Elizabeth, South Australia]] in 1969. A nine-hole golf course, driving range, and a path leading to Gomes Elementary is northeast of the park, while a skateboarding park and water slide swimming facility are southwest. The ecosystem and area around the park promotes diverse flora and fauna. Fremont Central Park is traversable on foot, and can be accessed by public roads. Much of the park was once the Stivers Lagoon and is part of the [[Laguna Creek Watershed]].<ref>{{cite web |author1=Katie Fisher |author2=Joyce Blueford |title=THE NATURAL HISTORY OF STIVERS LAGOON |url=https://msnucleus.org/watersheds/stivers/stiversbro.html |website=msnucleus.org}}</ref>

==Background== A visitor center offers information on the several sites of [[Fremont, California|Fremont]] and the [[East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)|East Bay]]. The park lies directly adjacent to the [[Hayward Fault Zone|Hayward Fault Line]], and is bordered by Stevenson Boulevard and Paseo Padre Parkway. Visitors are able to rent out boats for hourly use at varying rates. The park offers one person and two person [[Kayak|Kayaks]], paddle boats for up to four passengers, stand-up paddle boards and sailboats. Park guests are also permitted to bring their private boats for use on the lake for a $7 launch fee. The park often offers coupons for discounted boat rentals on their site.{{cn|date=June 2021}}

=== BART tunnel === As part of the [[Bay Area Rapid Transit expansion#Warm Springs extension|Warm Springs BART expansion]], a {{Convert|1.25|mi|km|abbr=on}} [[Tunnel#Cut-and-cover |cut-and-cover]] tunnel was built across the park and under [[Lake Elizabeth (Fremont, California)|Lake Elizabeth]] at a cost of $137 million.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2012-10-26 |title=BART celebrates completion of tunnel underneath Fremont’s Central Park |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2012/10/26/bart-celebrates-completion-of-tunnel-underneath-fremonts-central-park/ |access-date=2023-04-19 |website=The Mercury News |language=en-US}}</ref> Underground tracks are more expensive than surface tracks, but this lessens the impact of train operations on the park. Construction began in 2009, and was completed in 2012.<ref name=":0" /> The tunnel did not open for revenue service until March 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shuttleworth |first=Jeff |date=26 March 2017 |title=BART's long-awaited Warm Springs station opens in Fremont |url=https://pleasantonweekly.com/news/2017/03/26/barts-long-awaited-warm-springs-station-opens-in-fremont |access-date=2023-04-19 |website=pleasantonweekly.com |language=en}}</ref>

== Recreational Activities == Central Park provides nature, community, and recreation for its visitors. Some facilities in the area include the Fremont Golf Course, Fremont Skate Park, Fremont Main Library, Aqua Adventure Water Park, and Fremont Teen Center. <ref>{{Cite web |last=Schaffarczyk |first=Patricia |last2=Harris |first2=Caroline |date=c. 2019 |title=Rural/Urban Irvington History Walk |url=https://museumoflocalhistory.org/wordpress2/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Irvington-Urban-Hike-v2.pdf |access-date=}}</ref> The park also provides a kayak service, including paddle boats.

==Transportation== Most visitors drive or walk to the park, however parking lots overflow on busy weekends. Parking on the curb south of Stevenson and east of Paseo Padre Parkway is prohibited. The [[Fremont (BART station)|Fremont BART station]] is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) away from the park,<ref>[https://bart.gov/stations/frmt/index.aspx Fremont BART Station]</ref> and [[AC Transit]] provides bus service to the park.<ref>[http://www.actransit.org/ AC Transit]</ref>

== References == {{Reflist}}

==External links== * [https://www.fremont.gov/government/departments/parks-recreation/parks/central-park] Fremont Central Park Website

[[Category:Municipal parks in California]] [[Category:Parks in the San Francisco Bay Area]] [[Category:Geography of Fremont, California]] [[Category:Parks in Alameda County, California]] [[Category:Tourist attractions in Fremont, California]] [[Category:1960 establishments in California]]