Rossi Playground Architect Quits, Remodel Project Stays in Limbo

By Carol Dimmick

Plans to renovate Rossi Playground remain on hold after a dispute over who would assume liability for the design work forced the architect to abandon the project.

"Peterson has pulled out of the project," confirmed Linda Hunter, director of the Playground Campaign for the National Parks Council (NPC).

Under an agreement it has with the City to contract with private companies which donate a substantial portion of their services, NPC contracted with Peterson Architects to design a new playground at a fraction of the typical cost.

For the past three months work on the playground has been at a standstill after the SF Recreation and Park Department said that it would not release Peterson from liability for its work on the design of the playground, even though as much as 50 percent of the work was donated.

The dispute threatened a long-standing relationship between the Recreation and Park Department and NPC. In July, Hunter said the City should be willing to assume liability for companies that donate their services.

According to Hunter, because a playground typically needs to be renovated every 10 to 15 years at an average cost of $600,000 to $800,000, volunteers are a crucial part of any project.

"If people are kind enough to donate their time we want the City to take the responsibility," she said.

Now that Peterson has left the project, Hunter said she hopes to sign a contract soon with MBH Architects, a larger company that she says can bear the cost of its own liability.

According to Hunter, problems with Peterson began when it was discovered that the firm was too small to afford an insurance policy for the project, something she said won't be a problem for MBH.

P.J. Cosgrove, director of business for MBH Architects, confirmed the company is in discussions with Hunter to work with NPC on its playground campaign, but he said no agreement has been reached and no specific project has been discussed.

"We are not committed to working on Rossi, but we are in talks with NPC about donating time," Cosgrove said.

During the summer, while the dispute lingered, Friends of Rossi Playground, a community group involved with the rebuilding effort, continued to show their support for the project by holding a fundraiser. According to Hunter the benefit raised about $2,500 for the playground project.

Hunter said that she hopes to sign a contract with MBH soon and introduce the new firm to the community.

Rossi Pool and Playground is located at Anza Street and Arguello Boulevard.