Thousand Oaks School Park Improvement Project

Thousand Oaks School Park is a neighborhood park located at Thousand Oaks Elementary School. While the property is owned by the Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD), the City of Berkeley maintains the tot playground area and provides recreational opportunities for the community.

The Thousand Oaks School Park Improvement Project was initiated through a generous community donation from the friends of Colonel Michael "Mike" Seltzer, a Berkeley resident, Air Force pilot, and Thousand Oaks Elementary School parent who died of lung cancer in 2023. The donation provides an opportunity to enhance the existing playground with new airplane-themed play equipment that celebrates imagination, exploration, and active play.

The project will evaluate options for adding new airplane-themed play equipment to complement the existing playground. An initial community meeting was held on September 18, 2025 to introduce the project, share its background, and gather feedback on potential locations for the new airplane-themed play equipment. 

The City will host a second community meeting on September 16, 2026 to provide a summary of the feedback received to date and present concept options for the recommended project location. Additional opportunities for community participation, project updates, and key milestones will be posted on this webpage as they become available. 

To receive project updates via email, contact srutherford@berkeleyca.gov or echan@berkeleyca.gov using the subject line: “Please add me to Thousand Oaks School Park Improvement Project email list.”