The contractor told me that he would have used a subcontractor for the sod but that subcontractor could meet the “Hire Oakland” requirement. This means the crew working today (and all along on the landscaping) complies with Hire Oakland.

It will take 4-5 days to complete the entire installation.

On 7/7/09, John Klein wrote:
I talked with the landscape contractor this morning…
They will begin installing the new lawn next week….
I hope you can hold you nose for that long, city boy…..

But, I’d have to say that I am skeptical of the City or the Coalition being open to further input or changes. Frankly, I think the City doesn’t want to show the real architectural drawings. I say this because I met with Joel Peter and Jose Martinez but they only brought very generic drawings that did not show great detail. I’ve heard of others having the same experience. My other skepticism is that the DD Coalition, because they already “approved” the designs, isn’t open to reviewing them, either.

This appears to be a somewhat defensive attitude, though. Not reviewing designs really doesn’t make sense and is counter to what typically happens on any project. That is, taking a step back and asking, “Is this what we really wanted?” There will always be design changes and whatnot because it is impossible to think of everything or see things correctly in the design phase, Things always look better or different on paper. But, as I said, the DD Coalition generally supports wider and more sidewalks.

I really think we should be able to see the same drawings that the City is developing with WRT, the consultant or other design firm that is plotting out the actual details of sidewalk widths, placements etc. at 12th Street. Those “for public consumption” sketches that are usually shown don’t really allow for a discussion of the details. I think it would be a good idea to see the details on 12th Street before the City sends it out to bid. I’d really hate to see the new park land reclaimed at 12th Street chopped up by criss-crossing sidewalks or buried under new public plazas.

Can you arrange this for the DD Coalition meeting and let us know the date?

I’m scared to think of what the 12th Street area will look like once they again deviate from the pretty pictures on the billboards. Will we soon forget the new 4 acre park, the beautiful pedestrian foot bridges, the arched pier in front of the park with the best view in Oakland? They better take it easy on the concrete on the 12th Street side of the Lake. I don’t want to see 12 lanes of asphalt replaced by one 120 foot wide sidewalk. Maybe we should start looking at who the concrete contractor for this project is, and what, if any, connections to City Hall.

Navigator, it seems that a strip of grass about 10 feet wide was reclaimed at the El Embarcadero by removing the roadway. The walkway replacing it will have lighting and benches for sitting. I’m sure it will be a popular change there.

I have the same concerns as you regarding the amount of concrete being placed by Measure DD. Five/six foot sidewalks are being replaced by mostly 10 foot walks and even 12 foot wide in some areas. In some places, there are new sidewalks which I think were altogether unnecessary. These, along with the valet parking area at the Boat House, have really put a lot of green grass and park land under concrete.

It’s both a practical and esthetic issue and a lot of people like the wider walks. I attended the Measure DD Community Coalition meeting a couple of months ago to express my concerns about all of the new concrete. I think they could be using a “lighter touch” regarding the concrete. But, as it turns out, the Coalition generally supports the wider walks and the wider walks have been part of the plan all along.

In any case, I’ll be watching the widths of new sidewalks because more will be added, especially at 12th Street. A lot of these walkways have already been planned and approved and I’m not sure how willing and open the City or Measure DD Coalition is to the idea of design changes regarding the sidewalks.