In late January 1958, 2030 N. Texas St. opened with a three-day christening. The Fairfield Bowl had 16 maple lanes and automatic pinsetters, plus a billiard parlor, a children's nursery and bowling lessons. There was also a restaurant called the Apache Kitchen and a cocktail lounge called the Geronimo Room.
The family entertainment comes back to that address on Thursday, November 19, when the City of Fairfield opens Robbieburr Berger Park and its recreation center. The new park is built for the ordinary weekday as much as the weekend. It has lit paths for walking after dark, courts for four different sports, and a family-services building at its center. The person it honors spent her public life on the same kind of civic work.
Why a city-owned lot sat empty for two decades
As the Daily Republic's "Back in the Day" column tells it, the city bought the bowling alley in a redevelopment deal so a U.S. Postal Service office could be built there. The Postal Service later hit hard times, and the post office was never built.
Here is how the address got from bowling lanes to a ribbon cutting:
- January 24–26, 1958: Fairfield Bowl opens.
- 2002: The building is torn down, and the lot sits vacant for about 20 years.
- September 2024: Design work on the park is finished.
- December 17, 2024: The City Council awards the construction contract to CWS Construction Group.
- March 17, 2025: Construction begins.
- June 4, 2025: The city holds a ceremonial groundbreaking.
- June 19, 2026: The operating agreement with First 5 Solano is signed.
- November 19, 2026: Grand opening.
The contract award came in just under the city's estimate. According to the city's project transparency dashboard, CWS bid $13.385 million against an engineer's estimate of $13.517 million. The Daily Republic reported the whole project at $28 million. Its funding sources include $10.4 million in local money, a $5.67 million Proposition 68 grant and a $2 million grant from First 5 Solano.
The name on the gate, and the name she beat
Robbieburr Berger came to Fairfield in 1960. The Daily Republic reports that she was named Outstanding Volunteer of the Year for Travis AFB's Family Services Program two years in a row. She also worked as a Fairfield police radio dispatcher and served on the Capital Civic Improvement Committee, which helped bring the Fairfield Civic Center into being. She was president of the Fairfield Fine Arts Council, too. She was an accomplished pianist and harpist who once played for the king of Norway, and she performed often at local charity fundraisers.
In 1972 she became the first woman elected to the Fairfield City Council. She won the seat by defeating Allan Witt, who had been on the council for 24 years. That name is familiar to anyone who has used the skate park or ball fields at Allan Witt Community Park, which the city is renovating under its own Community Spaces plan. Starting this month, the winner and the loser of that 1972 race both have Fairfield parks named after them.
Berger served one term. She ran for mayor in 1976 and narrowly lost. In 1978 she ran for county supervisor and lost to Jan Hewitt, who became Solano County's first woman supervisor. Former Mayor Catherine Moy pushed for the park to carry Berger's name. The column notes that this makes Berger the first Fairfield woman to have a park named in her honor.
What fits on 4.43 acres
The site covers 4.43 acres beside the Linear Park Trail. The city's design plan fits in a lot for its size:
- Two soccer fields. The city calls them full-size.
- A lit running track and a lit walking and jogging path around the edge.
- Courts for basketball, futsal, volleyball and pickleball.
- Two playgrounds, one for ages 2–5 and one for ages 5–12.
- A fitness area, a picnic plaza and a parking lot, with a wall and fencing around the edge.
The lighting makes the biggest difference for neighbors. A lit track and a lit loop give North Texas Street somewhere to walk or run after the early sunsets of November and December. Because the courts are designed for several sports, a pickleball group and a pickup basketball game can both use the same park.
Being next to the trail ties the park to a longer route. The city describes the Linear Bike Trail as winding through Fairfield to Solano Community College, and it lists trail hours as dawn to dusk. The park was planned as part of the same effort. The city's Central Fairfield Revitalization & Linear Park Concept Plan came out of its Community Spaces initiative, which aims to turn underused land into active community spaces.
The building at the center belongs to families with young kids
The 6,700-square-foot Robbieburr Berger Recreation Center is the part of this project you won't find at most city parks. First 5 Solano Children and Families Commission is the long-term tenant. The city says the center will offer early childhood and parenting education and connect residents to help with housing, jobs, food and health care.
The agreement between the city and Solano County gives First 5 primary use of the center and the fenced play area next to it for at least 13 years. Its focus is Fairfield children ages 0 to 5 and their families. On a typical day, a parent could drop in for a parenting class while an older sibling uses the 5–12 playground a short walk away. The city has placed family services and play space on the same site.
Thursday, November 19, hour by hour
The grand opening is free and open to everyone at 2030 N. Texas Street, Fairfield, CA 94533.
| Time | What's happening |
|---|---|
| 10:00–10:45 a.m. | Ribbon-cutting ceremony |
| 11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. | Explore and play, plus tours of the recreation center |
| During the celebration | Family resource booths, a fire truck display and the Fairfield Police Department's Frosty 5-0 ice cream van |
Groups from First 5 Solano's partner agencies will be at the opening to share information about their services. If you have a toddler at home, the 11 a.m. building tour is a good chance to see the center in person.
Booking a field, court or picnic spot
Fairfield's usual rental rules apply to its parks. Sports fields and courts can be booked up to a year ahead, and requests are handled in person at the Fairfield Community Center. Picnic areas can also be booked up to a year ahead through the city's online reservation system. Youth soccer coaches and weekend pickleball organizers who want regular time at the new park can start at the field and court rentals page.
December 4, downtown
The next big public gathering is a short drive down Texas Street. The city's Holiday Tree Lighting is Friday, December 4, at Texas and Jefferson Streets. Things start at 6 p.m., and Mayor Rick Vaccaro lights the tree at 6:30 p.m. Texas Street between Union Avenue and Madison Street will have music, a train, pony rides, cocoa, photos with Santa, carolers and open houses at local shops.
A new park with lit paths, courts and a family center on a lot that had been empty since 2002 changes daily life on North Texas Street. If you live nearby and want to know how a project like Robbieburr Berger Park fits into your home's story, the Loney and Worley Team is glad to walk through it with you. Get your free home valuation.
