Reno area park gets a makeover from AAA volunteers

Volunteer restoration and donation help enrich Rancho San Rafael Regional Park.

WHEN: Thursday, September 17, 2015

1:00 p.m. – AAA Volunteers at Rancho San Rafael Park

3:00 p.m. – Donation and ceremonies with local leaders

WHERE: Rancho San Rafael Regional Park  1595 N. Sierra, Reno, NV 89503

WHAT: Families and students throughout Washoe County will benefit from the much-needed upgrades to Rancho San Rafael Regional Park thanks to 200 AAA Northern California, Nevada and Utah (NCNU) employees and the nonprofit HandsOn Bay Area. This park serves multiple socioeconomic and diverse populations throughout the Truckee Meadows, with more than 1.5 million park visitors annually.

WHO: Washoe County Board of Commissioners Chair Marsha Berkbigler, Vice Chair Kitty Jung, County Manager John Slaughter, Washoe County Open Space and Regional Parks Commission Chair Tom Guinn and AAA officials will attend the presentation ceremonies.  

VISUALS: AAA is helping to beautify the barn and bridge, plant an orchard, turn the old log ride building into a new tractor museum and paint a historic ranch-themed mural. The day of service will culminate with the arrival of AAA tow trucks bearing antique tractors and a dump truck for installation at the park.

Within Rancho San Rafael Regional Park, there is an area known as Nevada Farms and Families, formerly known as the Great Basin Adventure Park, which is a site that once hosted concessions, ranch-themed animal petting areas and many other great features. After park funding loss, the Great Basin Adventure site fell into despair. AAA volunteers are helping to restore the area, renovating it into an important educational and agricultural ranching-themed component of this regional park.

Out of the more than 12,000 acres of parks, trails and open space managed by Washoe County, AAA selected Rancho San Rafael Regional Park it benefits a large cross-section of the community.

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