Ongoing construction at Oak Hill Park has raised concerns among some residents that the park’s 25-year-old labyrinth has been destroyed.

“The labyrinth is completely destroyed and gone. I’m so sad,” one resident wrote on Facebook, prompting others to lament its loss. “I hope the city saved these stones so it can be rebuilt,” another resident opined.

In fact, the labyrinth is still there, hidden behind a fence while a new fountain is being built nearby. And the city authorities say it’s not going anywhere.

“The maze will be protected on site by temporary construction fencing and there are no plans to disturb the construction site or remove the fencing until the project is completed,” said Drew Halter, parks and recreation director, adding that the city “recognizes the importance” of preserving this “valued park feature.”

The fence will remain up for the next three to four months while workers build a new emergency water source for local residents, Halter said. The project, part of Petaluma’s well-building program, aims to expand the city’s “groundwater well network” and create a new backup water source for emergencies and severe droughts.

“The ultimate goal of the well building program is to make our city’s utilities infrastructure (and, by extension, the community) more flexible and durable to withstand water and climate stress,” the city’s project website states. Residents can sign up for project updates at cityofpetaluma.org/oak-hill-well-project.

Images on the city’s website show the future fountain between the community maze and the now-defunct Oak Hill Tank, which is scheduled to be replaced sometime in the 2025-26 fiscal year.

“A spiritual tool”

A May 12, 1999, Argus-Courier article describes the creation of the labyrinth in Oak Hill Park and notes that it was to be built the following month by Leadership Petaluma, a leadership course sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce.

“The circular labyrinth is surrounded by 1,200 deep river stones and is 48 feet in diameter,” the article states. “The pattern consists of seven levels that spiral toward the center and are intended to serve as a meditation aid.”

The “circumstantial paths” of a labyrinth meander toward the center and are often traversed in meditation, according to Veriditas, an international nonprofit organization based in Petaluma that disseminates information about labyrinths through training courses and events.

“Unlike a labyrinth, where you lose your bearings, the labyrinth is a spiritual tool that can help you find your way,” says Veriditas’ website.

Labyrinths are an ancient pattern found in numerous cultures and religions. According to Veriditas, they can be found in poems, on tablets and tiles dating back 5,000 years.

“Labyrinths can be used for personal reflection and healing, but also for community building when a group walks through the labyrinth together,” says Dawn Matheny, executive director of Veriditas.

Today, the two most popular labyrinth patterns are the “classic” design, with a single rounded path that ultimately leads to the center, and the “medieval” design, which is similar but divided into four quadrants.

Overall, they come in many different shapes – round, square or with bastions “reminiscent of Mickey Mouse ears” – and in hundreds of variations, says Matheny. They can be painted on the ground, made of tiles or built from stones like the figure in Oak Hill Park.

In Petaluma, Matheny said, another labyrinth is painted on the floor of the Cram Hall of St. John’s Episcopal Church on 5th Street, which is open to the public by appointment.

There is also a public outdoor labyrinth at the First Presbyterian Church on B Street and another south of Petaluma at the Institute of Noetic Sciences Retreat Center on San Antonio Road, which is accessible by appointment only. Both are listed on the “World Wide Labyrinth Locator” at labyrinthlocator.org, sponsored in part by Veriditas, whose goal is to locate labyrinths around the world.

Before construction on the fountain is completed, city staff are “more than happy” to work with either Veriditas or Leadership Petaluma “to ensure that the labyrinth at Oak Hill Park is well preserved in its original form and remains a valued feature of the park,” Halter said.

Matheny said she was glad the rumor about the park’s maze was not true, adding that she was “so glad it will be back in a few months” for the public to use again.

“I just think it’s a really important tool in our crazy age, and it’s accessible,” she said.

“You don’t have to go to an event to experience it, and yet it relaxes and grounds you.”

Reach staff writer Jennifer Sawhney at 707-521-5346 or [email protected]. On X (Twitter) @sawhney_media.