SSA Landscape Architects

04/11/2024

On March 13, 2024, the unveiling of the Sergeant Damon Gutzwiller Memorial at Willowbrook County Park was held in Aptos honoring fallen Santa Cruz County Sheriff, Sergeant Damon Gutzwiller, who died in the line of duty on June 6, 2020.

Sergeant Gutzwiller grew up in Santa Cruz County and lived in the neighborhood near Willowbrook Park which he frequented with his young family and dog. The Willowbrook Memorial is a peaceful place for the Sergeant’s family and community to visit, remember, and reflect. The Memorial will forever enshrine Sergeant Gutzwiller’s sacrifice.

SSA Landscape Architects were selected by Santa Cruz County Parks to design the Memorial at Willowbrook Park. SSA Landscape Architects and the County worked in close collaboration with the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office, Santa Cruz Deputy Sheriff’s Association, County Park Friends and Supervisor Zach Friend to obtain funding for the project. Community fundraising also provided funding for a portion of the project.

SSA designed and provided construction documents and construction administration for the Memorial seating and Flagpole entry area. The Memorial seating includes custom bronze footprint inlays of the Sergeant and his family, boulders hand selected and placed under the direction of Steve Sutherland from the Sierra Nevada’s (a place Damon and his family loved to visit), with several bronze plaques, custom engraved bricks, granite pavers, and a custom precast concrete bench with redwood backrest. The construction team was led by Tom Ralston President of Tom Ralston Concrete Company and included Paul Neal of Concrete Craftsmen providing the precast bench and redwood back rest, Ralph Russo of Russo Masonry installing the donor bricks and granite panels as well as the Bronze Plaques and K&D Landscape installing the irrigation and planting.

The Flagpole area marks the entry to Willowbrook Park and Memorial seating, along with new park signage and boulders with several memorial plaques. The renovated playground features new play equipment, and new poured-in-place rubber surfacing.

06/24/2022

SSA is proud to announce Mora Park in Mountain View is now open! The opening ceremony was held on June 22, 2022!

04/25/2022

A magical evening in the Santa Cruz Mountains at this elegantly landscaped property designed by SSA. Custom lighting allows for a variety of color options and provides a feeling of luxury and sophistication which creates different moods and environments depending on the occasion.

02/16/2022

SSA is honored to be working with Santa Cruz County Parks on the Willowbrook County Park Memorial.

On June 6, 2020, Sergeant Damon Gutzwiller was killed in the line of duty while serving Santa Cruz County. Sergeant Gutzwiller grew up in Santa Cruz County, owned his first home in the Willowbrook Neighborhood and frequented Willowbrook Park with his family and dog Shasta. This Memorial will ensure Damon's sacrifice is never forgotten.

Visit for more information on how to lend your support for the Willowbrook Memorial.

Image 1. View - Eternal Flag from Memorial Bench
Image 2. Memorial Bench Space
Image 3. Park Signage and Boulder Donor with Plaque

03/11/2021

Thanks to Lakeport Public Works Department for creating and installing the new Lakefront Park project sign! 👍👏

03/11/2021

An exciting new park is coming to Lakeport!

02/22/2021

SSA is pleased to announce the completion of the Heart of Soquel Parkway. The Heart of Soquel Parkway project was completed as phases 2 and 3 of the greater Heart of Soquel project with the goal of building a stronger Soquel Village core. The project gives the community of Soquel a place to appreciate the natural environment in the middle of an otherwise urban environment and provides a safe place to travel for pedestrians, bicyclist and students traveling to and from school.

Click the following link to watch a virtual tour of the Parkway.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqc6tRnuc94&feature=youtu.be

Thank you to Lost Coast Media for the photos, and Santa Cruz County for the virtual tour.

02/03/2021

Check out the newest footage of the recently completed Magical Bridge Playground at Red Morton Park!

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01/14/2021

The Magical Bridge Playground at Red Morton Park in Redwood City is now complete and open to the public!

Red Morton Park is the largest programmed park in the City of Redwood City with athletic fields, tennis courts, play areas, recreational buildings, picnic areas, passive open spaces, bocce courts, skate park, and walking trails.

The project received funding from the Magical Bridge Foundation, a non-profit organization with the mission to create play for all. This manifests into creative play spaces that far exceed the Americans with Disabilities Act or universal playgrounds. Magical Bridge playgrounds intend to serve children and adults alike with any disability, including physical, visual, cognitive, or social.

Please visit https://redwoodcityparksblog.com/2020/12/04/we-are-learning/ to learn more about the new park and how to play safely while keeping COVID-19 protocol in mind.

12/07/2020

Evandale Park, a 10,000 s.f. park located in Mountain View, is officially open! The Park includes garden areas for strolling amongst the trees, a playground for 5-12 year old range, all-inclusive elements such as spinning and retreat zones, a gathering space with benches, picnic and game tables, and a large lawn area for open play.

The grand opening celebration was small and socially distanced to keep everyone in the community safe. To get a peek at the opening ceremony, click the link below to watch a video from the City of Mountain View:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HjpMKItoek

11/30/2020

Wyandotte Park in Mountain View is now open. The opening ceremony was held virtually in order to keep the community safe. Wyandotte Park is located on an approximately 1-acre lot in the Rengstorff / Old Middlefield area.

Click below to watch the opening ceremony as well as take a virtual park of the new park:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFtHk_LaaKo

11/19/2020

The City of South San Francisco recently held a ribbon cutting ceremony for newly renovated Gardiner Park. SSA enjoyed collaborating with the City of South San Francisco and team on this project, and we are always excited for the experience of seeing the community come together to celebrate and enjoy their refurbished playground.