Nearly two years after San Diego secured state funds to restore the historic sculpture The Black Family in Mountain View’s Neal Petties Community Park, the promised revival remains frozen in time. Once a proud emblem of unity, the artwork now lies in silence—its pedestal worn, its spirit waiting. Despite $195,000 in dedicated funding and an eager community, the project has not moved beyond the planning phase. While other city restorations race ahead, this symbol of cultural memory sits still—drawing concern, curiosity, and quiet disappointment from those who hoped to see it rise again.
🔹 STORY HIGHLIGHTS
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“The Black Family” sculpture was created in 1974 by Rossie Wade.
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It once stood in Mountain View Park but deteriorated due to weather and vandalism.
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In 2023, the city secured $195,000 in state funds for restoration.
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The restoration is to be done by welding students at San Diego College.
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As of mid-2025, no construction work has begun.
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City officials say paperwork and procurement are still ongoing.
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Community advocates express deep frustration over the delay.
Nearly two years have passed since the City of San Diego celebrated a wave of state funding aimed at revitalizing key community landmarks. Among the projects announced was the long-anticipated restoration of a beloved neighborhood sculpture—“The Black Family”—which once stood tall in Mountain View’s Neal Petties Community Park. But today, the site remains empty, the sculpture unrepaired, and the promises, for now, unfulfilled.
For the residents of Mountain View, particularly those who have spent years advocating for the sculpture’s return, the delay is more than a logistical hiccup. It is a painful echo of a broader pattern—one that many feel signals a history of being overlooked.
The sculpture, a six-foot-tall wooden piece created in 1974 by artist Rossie Wade, once symbolized more than just artistic expression. For Mountain View, it represented resilience, family, and pride—a powerful visual story told through four figures reaching toward the sky. The artwork honored local football hero Neal Petties, after whom the park is now named.
But as years passed, weather and neglect took their toll. Vandalism added further damage. The sculpture slowly disintegrated, until all that remained was a worn-out plaque and a red-brick pedestal—crumbling quietly in a corner of the park.
Jeffrey Hayes, a longtime Mountain View resident, still remembers the day the sculpture first went up. He has watched its gradual decline with a mix of grief and resolve.
“All my friends were telling me that I couldn’t get it done, because it’s the city,”
Hayes said in a recent interview.
“And it was true.”
Despite the apparent hurdles, Hayes didn’t stop trying. Over the years, he cleaned up the site himself, removing graffiti and weeds, determined not to let the community’s history vanish unnoticed. Eventually, he joined forces with Wade’s daughters—Carole and Lynn—and other neighbors to push for its official restoration.
Their campaign eventually gained political momentum. In August 2023, then-Assemblymember Dr. Akilah Weber announced that the state had secured nearly $25 million for community investments across San Diego. Included in that package was $195,000 specifically earmarked to restore “The Black Family.”
At the time, the city struck an optimistic tone.
“Taken together, these projects will help us make neighborhoods safer; address homelessness; improve our parks, libraries and streets; and expand housing opportunities,”
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said when the funding was first announced.
Plans were even set in motion. Local leaders promised that the restoration work would be conducted by welding students at the San Diego College of Continuing Education under the guidance of Professor Mike Bradbury. To much excitement, the college also restored a smaller replica of the sculpture—funded independently—which made its debut on a parade float in the 2024 Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade. That version now sits proudly on campus.
But while that replica was swiftly completed, the original restoration for the park remains at a standstill.
Emails reviewed by The San Diego Union-Tribune show that the Neal Petties Mountain View Community Recreation Group, which meets monthly, has repeatedly contacted the city’s Commission for Arts and Culture seeking updates. In spring 2024, Christine Jones, the city’s chief of civic art strategies, responded with a timeline.
“We anticipate the restoration project to begin this fall and be complete by fall 2025,”
Jones wrote.
But months later, not a single construction crew has broken ground.
By February 2025, Wade’s daughters reached out again, seeking clarification on the delay. In response, Jones explained that the city was still navigating the “procurement phase” with the San Diego Continuing Education Foundation and was also in the process of obtaining legal permission from the artists’ heirs to replicate the sculpture.
“Additionally, we are preparing an agreement to obtain written permission from Rossie Wade’s daughters, the copyright holders of the original artwork,”
she added.
That permission was eventually granted. Yet as of July 2025, the city still hasn’t finalized the necessary agreements with the college.
City spokesperson Racquel Vasquez confirmed the project is still stuck in the early stages. In a recent email to the Union-Tribune, she noted that the city’s departments of contracting and cultural affairs are working to complete formal paperwork, including insurance coverage and standard agreements. That process, she said, should be completed “before the summer ends.”
Only then will the funds be released, allowing the college students to begin fabrication and installation.
Meanwhile, the sculpture’s pedestal sits surrounded by overgrown weeds and scattered trash. It is a bleak contrast to what the space once represented—and what the community hoped would return.
“It felt so lovely,”
Hayes recalled of the day city leaders gathered to announce the restoration plans.
“That was a great feeling to know that, you know, I get to see our history back.”
For now, though, it remains only a feeling.
Residents say the inaction speaks to a deeper issue—a longstanding trend of neglect toward Mountain View’s public spaces. The recently completed refurbishment of the park’s sports courts took years to materialize, forcing locals to play on cracked pavement. Other projects funded by the same $24.8 million state package—like a new lifeguard garage in La Jolla or a library expansion in San Ysidro—are already underway.
Vasquez said the city is also designing park upgrades to improve accessibility, alongside the sculpture restoration. But those plans remain conceptual for now.
In Mountain View, the wait continues. The pedestal where “The Black Family” once stood is empty—but for those who remember, the absence feels louder than any announcement.
And the community, hopeful but wary, is still waiting for their symbol of pride to return home.
As the brick pedestal stands bare and memories gather dust, The Black Family sculpture remains a silent reminder of promises yet to be fulfilled. While the city cites paperwork and procedures, the heart of a community continues to wait—for action, for respect, and for the return of a symbol that once inspired pride. With other projects progressing swiftly, Mountain View residents are left asking why their story remains paused. Until restoration begins, the vacant space will echo with more than absence—it will reflect a longing still unmet.
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