In February 2023, a routine inspection of the play structure for ages 5 to 12 at Holbrook-Palmer Park found what The Almanac called "significant deterioration," and the Town taped the structure off. The structure was repaired and reopened that August. It then stayed in use for almost three more years while the Town worked out what should replace it.
This Saturday, November 14, the replacement opens, and it is the first finished step in a longer sequence. Atherton has one public park, and The Almanac has described it in exactly those terms. Each time a piece of Holbrook-Palmer is rebuilt, the Town is also deciding who gets that piece of ground and when. The playground was the first piece. The tennis courts are next, and the Council has already approved the rules for how they will be shared.
Three years from caution tape to ribbon
The playground's path to Saturday ran in stages. Each stage went to a stopgap or a survey before anything permanent happened.
- February 2023. A routine inspection finds structural problems in the ages 5 to 12 structure, and the Town tapes it off for safety.
- 2023. The City Council funds more than $65,000 in repairs as part of what the Town calls the Holbrook-Palmer Park Access and Circulation Improvements project. Then-Public Works Director Robert Ovadia told The Almanac that this work was partly funded by Santa Clara County and the California Parks Department. The money came through Stanford Mitigation funds, which Santa Clara County administers.
- August 2023. The repaired structure reopens.
- Early 2024. The Town surveys the community about a possible new structure. Respondents favor swings, upgraded restrooms, a nature-inspired theme and shade, and 66% choose a green, tan and brown color palette.
- May 4, 2026. The playground closes for renovation and upgrades.
- November 14, 2026. Grand reopening.
The 2023 repairs bought time, and the survey that followed told the Town what the community wanted in a replacement. The Almanac reported those survey results in January 2024. The new playground reflects them. In its Nov. 7 community briefs, The Almanac lists new play structures, slides, climbing equipment, shaded seating and new surfacing.
What Saturday looks like
The ribbon cutting starts at noon at 150 Watkins Ave. According to the Town's reopening announcement, Mayor Stacy Holland and Vice Mayor Rick DeGolia will speak about the project, followed by a short reception with food and refreshments in Jennings Pavilion. The event runs until 2 p.m. and includes children's activities, and residents can RSVP at atherton.news/HPPPlayground.
With the reception in Jennings Pavilion, the event covers more than the playground's own footprint. The same lawns, pavilion and paths host the concerts, art shows and ball games that a town with a Main Street would spread across several sites.
The courts are the next surface to be divided
A short walk from the playground, the tennis complex is going through its own version of the same process. The Almanac's July coverage counted six courts at Holbrook-Palmer, one of them clay and one shared between tennis and pickleball. Pickleball arrived in January 2024. In October 2025, Court No. 1 was re-striped so that the shared court holds four pickleball courts.
Four pickleball courts on one tennis court's footprint is still one tennis court's worth of reservation time. When the Council discussed the courts on July 15, one pickleball player told The Almanac that players often wait until midnight a week ahead to reserve weekend time. The mayor summed up the pressure at that meeting, as The Almanac reported:
"(It's been) three years of asking for more, more, more pickleball, so we should give them more pickleball."
The fix the Council chose doesn't add any land. Court 3, the clay court, becomes a hard court, and Court 1 becomes permanently pickleball. Tennis gives up its share of Court 1 and gains a hard court in return. DeGolia explained the trade at the July meeting. Tennis players might lose some hours on Court No. 1, he said, but they would make up for it by gaining hours once the clay court is paved.
The booking rules are already set
On September 16, alongside the court project, the Council approved a fourth amendment to the Town's tennis agreement with Player Capital as part of its consent agenda, according to the Town's meeting recap. The amendment sets how far ahead each group can reserve:
| Who is booking | How far ahead |
|---|---|
| Player Capital | Up to 10 days |
| Atherton resident keyholders | 7 days |
| Nonresident keyholders | 5 days |
| Pickleball on Court 1, until the conversion | 4 days, when the court is not reserved for tennis |
The amendment also plans for the courts after construction. On weekend and holiday mornings, Player Capital's reservations are limited to the clay court plus up to two hard courts. After the conversion, the limit becomes up to three hard courts. Town staff described the amendment as capping instructional use at three courts during those weekend and holiday morning hours. The amendment also requires Player Capital to write a no-show policy. That policy has to cover how much cancellation notice is needed, how a no-show is determined including any grace period, progressive enforcement, and exceptions for weather, closures and documented emergencies.
Before any asphalt is laid, the Town has already decided how the courts will be shared.
What $45,000 buys, and what comes after
The money approved so far pays for drawings. The September 16 staff report asked the Council to create a capital project and appropriate $45,000 for design. Construction funding would be requested once plans and cost estimates are ready, and the role of donations would be discussed at that point.
The same report gives a sense of the size of the job. Turning clay into a hard court could mean:
- Removing existing court components
- Laying a new base and asphalt
- Installing new tennis posts and nets
- Changing gates and access
- Adding stormwater treatment
The pickleball side covers resurfacing and striping Court 1, plus nets and mobile separators for its four courts. The design money could come from either the General Fund or the Town's Tennis Fund, which staff estimated at about $200,000. On July 15, the Council asked staff to come back with funding recommendations that include donations. The discussion weighed matching donations from the Tennis Fund against relying on private funding.
So the courts are at the stage the playground reached after its 2023 repairs. The use is settled, design is funded, and the cost of the permanent version will decide the rest.
December in the same park
Holbrook-Palmer's winter calendar keeps adding to the same grounds.
On Friday, December 4, from 5 to 8 p.m., the Atherton Arts Foundation holds a student art show and reception upstairs in the park's Main House. The foundation invites friends of Atherton Arts and asks guests to RSVP by email. Six days later, on Thursday, December 10, the Town Tree Lighting takes place at sunset. It is listed in the Town's October Monthly Matters newsletter.
One more item from the October 21 Council meeting reaches the park's front edge. Along with a wider signal-timing study of seven Middlefield Road intersections, from Ringwood Avenue through Fair Oaks Lane and Palmer Avenue, the Council approved design work for a walkway and fencing on Watkins Avenue. That is the street with the park's 150 Watkins Ave address. The City Manager's Blog recap of that meeting has the details. The walkway is at the design stage, the same stage as the courts, while the playground opens behind it this weekend.
If you are thinking about how a home near Watkins Avenue or Middlefield Road is likely to be valued as the park changes, Stephanie Elkins can walk you through it privately. Request a Private Valuation, and we will go over what is changing around your property with the discretion you expect.
