Guest Opinion Guest Opinion (November 18, 2005)

Kottinger Park restoration - No

I have the pleasure of living next to Kottinger Park, along Kottinger Creek. This walking park should not be confused with the nearby active Kottinger Village Park (basketball court, kids' jungle gym and soccer field).

A couple of years back, neighbors decided Kottinger Park was not maintained properly so, bypassing the Park and Recreation Commission, they requested City Council do a study for $40,000. A newer City Council will be asked to approve a $1 million renovation. Why? There is truly nothing wrong in the park. There is no need for three bridges. The last major improvement was the addition of an eight-foot-wide multi-use sidewalk through two of its three sections.

Historically, McKinley Park was at the end of Spring Street where there was a big meadow with springs feeding Mary's (now-Kottinger) Creek. When Kottinger Drive was added and homes built, a bigger park was created. New homes and streets caused less ground absorption, so flooding along our creek became more frequent, sometimes overflowing into homes.

City engineers decided to install a larger drainage pipe, which would end up at the Arroyo. But consultants calculated new holding ponds could handle 100-year floods, so last year that questionable project was canceled.

Concerns for the 26 homes along the creek are:

* Proper city maintenance along the 20 foot egresses

* Earthquake inspections are needed in the antiquated concrete tunnel under homes on 2nd and 1st Streets

* Controversial liability responsibilities.

This extremely expensive renovation needs additional study. Why not use these funds on the Adobe Park Development?

-Howard Adams Neely lives along Kottinger Creek and is a former Parks and Recreation Commissioner. Restore Kottinger Creek

The Kottinger Creek Restoration Project is not about improving a park. It is about restoring Kottinger Creek -- a regional resource that has been damaged by conventional water management practices like ditching and removing bank-stabilizing vegetation.

According to FarWest Engineering, experts hired by the city, the creek channel's geometry needs repair. Studies have shown it is a system out of balance with excessive erosion and sedimentation. A lack of shade has produced an overgrowth of invasive species, siltation and increased water temperatures that limit aquatic life.

The plan for this multi-objective project is ready and will:

* Restore 1,820 feet of degraded creek channel

* Create 2.1 acres of native riparian habitat

* Remove invasive plant species and failing culverts

* Provide an easily accessible restoration demonstration park for the Tri-Valley

* Provide interpretive elements for children and adults

* Provide creek access points to encourage visitor interaction

* Provide a Creek Maintenance and Monitoring Plan for this and other urban creek restoration sites

From advocacy through development, this project has taken nearly six years with partnering between the community and the city's Public Works and Parks and Community Services Departments. The concept plan has both City Council and Park and Recreation Commission approvals. Most needed funding has been reserved in the CIP budget and a California River Parkways Grant application for $300,000 has been submitted.

Our community values are shown by where we invest. We must restore and preserve Kottinger Creek for future generations.

For more information, go to www.alamedacreek.org, click on Links, then select Kottinger Creek.

-:Tom Gallagher has lived on Kottinger Drive for 35 years.

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