Hello Friends & Neighbors! It seems like Spring (or even Summer?) is in full swing and we’re feeling the energy ramping back up for the year. 

After an incredible effort, we finished 2025 by fully paying off the Town Square property! That milestone means the space is now permanently secured as a public space for Graton.

Our focus for 2026 is clear:
Finalize permits and begin construction of the permanent Town Square site elements. 

This includes design, fundraising, and getting started on infrastructure like paths, irrigation, gardens, gathering spaces, and other features that will allow the Square to become a long-term hub for community life. Our hope is to have permits secured by September so we can take the fences down for public-access as early as this fall. 

 

Town Halls & Community Alignment:

The theme of this spring and summer is community involvement and alignment.

As we move from pop-up activations toward permanent construction, we want the town’s voice deeply embedded in how this space evolves.

Throughout the year we’ll be hosting:

·        Town halls and design conversations

·        Community workdays

·        Opportunities to submit ideas and feedback

This process will also help shape the evolving partnership between Graton Community Services District and ReVillage Foundation 501(c)(3)as we steward public space and programming. 

2026 Key Dates:

We hope you’ll join us throughout the year (see more details on upcoming events below):

·        March 28 and 29: Voices of the Valley + Broken Theater

·        April 29: GCSD x ReVillage || Community Town Hall

·        May 20: Community Work Party

·        May 30: First Taste: Graton Town Square || A Community Tasting and Fundraiser Walkabout

·        July 11: Lawn Chair Cinema + BBQ Community Update

·        September 26: Graton Day Festival

·        October 31: Halloween Celebration

·        December 12: Holiday Lights & Tractor Parade

A Message from GCSD Board President, Jennifer Butler: 

“I’m looking forward to seeing many of you at our first Town Square workday this Sunday. These gatherings are a wonderful way for neighbors to come together and care for this shared space.

This spring we’ll also host several town hall events to hear directly from you about how we, as your Graton Community Services District, can better support the community, especially as we continue with our new work in Parks and Recreation.

The GCSD gives us a powerful way to build things our community needs and partner with the County as a local government entity. Because we don’t yet have a dedicated tax base for parks and community projects (sewer fees only fund sewer operations), we are continually looking for creative ways to fund and sustain this work.

We’re grateful for our partnership with the ReVillage Foundation, which helped us raise funds for the Town Square and continues to lead community engagement and programming. We’ll share more about how this partnership works at the upcoming town halls. We hope to see you at a workday or town hall this spring.” 

Join the Process:

This project exists because of the community that built it. Over the past two years hundreds of volunteers, artists, neighbors, and families have helped design gardens, build seating and a stage, and bring the Square to life through festivals and gatherings. Now we’re entering the next chapter.

If you want to get involved this year you can:

·        Come to a work party

·        Join a town hall

·        Share design ideas

·        Volunteer at events, planning or day-of