August 17, 2007


Bay Trail gets new section Ceremony to open work on half-mile near boat launch
By Alan Lopez

GROUND BREAKING
A groundbreaking ceremony for the Alameda Point Bay Trail will be held at 11 a.m., Wednesday at the Encinal Boat Launch, off Central and Lincoln avenues along the southern shore of Alameda Point. For more information, call 510-544-2008, or go online at http://www.ebparks.org.

A ceremonial groundbreaking will be held next week for the newest portion of the San Francisco Bay Trail to run through Alameda.

The section of trail will span a half-mile and will go from the Encinal Boat Launch to near the floating USS Hornet Museum on the southern shore of Alameda Point.

It will be constructed this fall with the intention of opening up the land -- which includes a beach and sweeping views -- for greater public access.

"We like to call it both a groundbreaking and chain-cutting ceremony," said Doug Siden, a member of the East Bay Regional Park District board of directors and an Alameda resident. "The fence has been up since the Navy acquired the property. It's coming down and we're opening up a new portion to the public."

With a few gaps here and there, the Bay Trail currently runs through most of Alameda, from Bay Farm Island to about Fifth Street and Central Avenue near Ballena Bay.

At Alameda Point, there are plans for a seven-mile trail looping around the site, said Mike Anderson, an assistant general manager for East Bay Parks.

The half-mile is just the start.
"It's not a long distance, but for some folks, a mile walk is a reasonable distance," Anderson said. "There will be benches along the way, interpretive (signs), things like that. The beach area will be open; there will be access behind the fence. I think it will have a nice effect as a first step."

That first step will consist of tearing down a six-foot high, 635-foot long fence obstructing the water. In addition, "no trespassing" signs will be removed.

Some concrete barriers will also be torn out, as will some existing sidewalk.

When the 10-foot wide trail is built, it will span 2,600 feet within 100 feet of the shoreline.

After it's completed, more people are expected to make use of the area, though a couple of fisherman and a couple with their dog looked more than happy to have the area to themselves. And it's easy to get in -- sections of the fence have long been taken down.

"It's a lovely setting," Siden said, peering out over the Bay.

Half the cost of the trail improvement is being funded by state Prop. 12 bond money, with the other half coming from Park District Measure AA funds.

But the Prop. 12 funds, obtained by the East Bay Parks, had a catch -- if the money wasn't used by the end of 2007, the district would have used it for other projects.

In response, the Alameda City Council, acting as the Alameda Reuse and Redevelopment Authority, in December signed a 66-year lease agreement with the East Bay Parks, giving the district needed control over the land for the improvements to move forward.

Initially, it was thought that a 26-acre triangular-shaped park which is planned as part of Alameda Point could be built at that location, development services director Leslie Little said. However, because the park wouldn't take shape with the money available, it was decided that the trail would be built instead.

"The trail is like this first baby step and the first active thing we can do absent the development and the money it would take to do the regional park," Little said.

The resulting compromise, which will add a tiny bit to the effort to get the Bay Trail to ring the Bay, has pleased regional planners, government officials and local activists alike.

Laura Thompson, the manager for the Bay Trail Project, said the effort is typical for the Bay Trail. It's planned and built in pieces with support from local jurisdictions and the public.

"Even though it's half a mile it's an important piece for Alameda for increased access," she said.

After the half-mile of trail is completed, it will be overseen by East Bay Parks personnel, namely Anne Rockwell, who supervises the Robert Crown Memorial State Beach. She said she's looking forward to the addition.

"I'm really excited we're moving ahead with something out there," said Rockwell, who is also an Alameda resident. "It's been 10 years since the Navy left the base."

A preliminary development concept approved by the city in 2006 calls for the former Navy base to be redeveloped with a significant amount of trails and open space.

That includes approximately 149 acres of public parks and open space, about 2.8 miles of waterfront promenades, approximately 105 acres of protected water-related recreation such as sailing, kayaking, boat ramps, and a marina with 500 to 800 slips.

Those plans are nonbinding and contingent on whether the development plan can be executed. The city is currently negotiating exclusively with developer SunCal Companies for an eventual development agreement for 770 acres of the former Navy base.

As areas of the city become redeveloped, making the waterfront accessible to the public with trails will remain a "priority everywhere in Alameda," Mayor Beverly Johnson said.

Reach Alan Lopez at 510-748-1659 or e-mail alopez1@cctimes.com.

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