About Us

A Brief History

The Hayward Area Recreation and Park District, known locally as “H.A.R.D.," is an independent special use district created to provide park and recreation services for over 309,000 residents. Our boundaries encompass a 100 square-mile area, which includes the City of Hayward and the unincorporated communities of Castro Valley, San Lorenzo, Ashland, Cherryland, and Fairview.

In 1944, representatives of the City of Hayward, various school districts, and local civic organizations developed a proposal for the establishment of the Hayward Area Recreation and Parkway District. When an initiative was placed on the November 7th ballot, the residents voted overwhelmingly for the creation of the District, which was officially formed on December 11, 1944. In 1958, the District changed its name to the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District and has become the largest recreation district in the State of California.

Since its creation, the District has provided residents with many beautiful facilities and parks, many of which have received national and state recognition for their design, innovation, and beauty, as well as hundreds of educational and recreational classes and programs.

Board of Directors

H.A.R.D. is governed by an elected five-member Board of Directors and holds monthly Board Meetings on the first and third Mondays of each month. For more information, check out our Board of Directors page.

Mission

HARD’s mission is to enrich the quality of life for all community members by providing a wide range of recreational activities, parks, and facilities that meet the diverse needs and interests of the entire community and promote health, well-being, learning, and fun.

Vision

We deliver exceptional park and recreation services and facilities to all the people and communities we serve by:

Maintaining safe, clean, and green parks and facilities.
Providing extensive programs and facilities that meet the diverse needs and interests of
all the people and communities in our service area.
Engaging, listening, and communicating effectively with all of our residents.
Collaborating with all of our partners for mutual benefit.
Providing a great place to work and supporting a talented and motivated staff.
Enhancing environmental sustainability, justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Maintaining stable funding to meet our goals.

Values

Diversity: Programs and facilities in our district reflect the varied needs and interests of the residents we serve.
Serving. Provide prompt, high-quality, transparent service because every customer and community deserves to be well served.
Sustaining. Our decisions and actions support environmental and financial sustainability.
Collaborating. Enter into partnership relationships with people and organizations to benefit the involved parties and the community.
Listening. We listen to and respond to the diverse needs of the people we serve.
Staff. Recognizing their importance to accomplishing our mission, we invest in and support staff and provide an excellent workplace.

So much to do,

so close to home!

About Us

A Brief History

Board of Directors

Mission

Vision

Values

Contact Us

District Office

Contact Us

Quick Links

Helpful Links