After over three months of stalling, the City of Berkeley has partially fulfilled my Public Records Act Request regarding the de-benching and fencing off of Triangle Park at the intersection of Telegraph and Dwight, which originated as Herrick Peace and Freedom Park in 1968.
I received a copy of this September 12 email on this topic this week in response to my request:
From: stuart@telegraphberkeley.org
To: "Dandelion Harris"
"Berkeley Hat Company"
"Daryn Singh"
"Indigo Vintage"
CC: "Jeff Gilbert"
"Tinney, Sean"
"Robinson, Rigel"
"Hollander, Eleanor"
"Klein, Jordan"
Date: 9/12/2019 10:26: 19 AM
Subject: Update on the Triangle
All,
As many of you have noticed, the City removed the bench in the Dwight Triangle yesterday. After meeting with the City Attorney, BPD found that in order to correctly classify the space as a traffic median (technically a divisional island), the pay phone will also need to be removed. Basically everything has to go that would signal that this is a place to spend time. Until then, nothing has changed in terms of designation.
The berm creation process is underway but I should caution you that if have hope that it'll happen in the next month or so. It won't. Before the first shovel goes in the ground, the City needs to reestablish the island as a no-hang out zone. BPD plans to do this through upped enforcement of existing laws against drinking, dogs, and smoking in the general area. Once that has been reestablished we can start building. We have selected an landscape architect and are starting the process of getting all the City approvals.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks,
Stuart
With no knowledge of these plans for the park, I wrote this open letter to the Berkeley City Council on September 15, which I followed by the Public Records Act request.
The unnoticed removal of the Triangle Park bench at Dwight Way and Telegraph Avenue violates our city code, specifically Chapter 6.42, Public Parks and Open Space Preservation, which clearly states that "no public parks (hereinafter defined) or public open space (hereinafter defined) owned or controlled or leased by the City or agency thereof, shall be used for any other purpose than public parks and open space, without the Berkeley City Council first having submitted such use to the citizens for approval by a majority of registered Berkeley voters voting at the next general election..."
After reading this email, it's apparent that Telegraph Business Improvement District is clearly trying to re-designate the park as a median strip without the city-wide vote required by Measure L after having put in - and then furiously removed - benches, sculpture, a pay phone, planters, etc. all at public expense.
Triangle Park was a forerunner of the many user-developed parks which followed it, including Halcyon Commons, People's Park, Ohlone Park, Peralta Community Garden in honor of Karl Linn, and more. The BID's objections to the park's current use are that people smoke there, drink there, and bring dogs(?).
Most parks have these occasional problems, easily addressed with signage, outreach, education and enforcement.We don't destroy our parks if they are occasionally misused. And Measure L precludes their destruction.
Is your Business Improvement District out of control? If it is dedicated to destroying open space it is. Open space in Berkeley is protected. Tell your City Council that park destruction is not on the agenda.
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