Month: March 2009

Montclair Park Faring Well

Given the Oakland budget cuts, we wanted to see how Montclair Park has been faring these days.  We checked with Mark Zinns, recreation supervisor, who sounds like he’s managing pretty well in the downturn.

“The plan from the beginning has been to keep programs for all age levels, at all recreation centers in Oakland, operating,” explained Zinns.  There are a mix of recreation center activities here, especially dance and art classes.  Sports include tennis, t-ball, basketball and hiking, as listed in this schedule.

Montclair Pond

The funding was cut for Montclair Park and across the Oakland Park system, though.  “Because of great leadership by our Director Audree Jones-Taylor, the impact on OPR has been minimized somewhat,” said Zinns.

“We have taken huge budget cuts in the last three months and all parks and recreation centers close at least once a month on mandatory shut-down days.  We have also lost several key staff as well as cut back on hours for part-time workers.”

Yet Montclair Park is open and welcomes all comers – especially local teens who are daily visitors.  Through the Teen Power Project, Zinns offers “relaxed supervision, equipment check-out and a place for the teens to congregate and socialize.”

“Between myself, my staff and two wonderful parents (Deane and Tamara), we know and interact with most of the teens who come to Montclair Village,” boasted Zinns.

Did you know that Montclair Park was a Depression baby, constructed by the WPA?  Thus it only seems right for the Park to remain open for everyone, during this economic downturn.

March 12th Update: The Teen Power Project is seeking to raise $700 to purchase a large tent, a lock box, and an outdoor heat lamp for cooler and wet winter afternoons.  To help, please reach Supervisor Zinns at mzinns-at-oaklandnet.com or 510-482-7812.

Fix Rockridge BART Traffic Snarl

When you are standing on the Rockridge BART platform, all is well and good.   You can peer at beautiful San Francisco views day and night, while waiting for your train.  It’s a different story below the tracks, where all heck is breaking loose from the retrofit project.

Rockridge BART

Over a month ago, BART began their seismic retrofit for the Rockridge station and there have been complaints about traffic problems since then.  Part of south-bound College Avenue has been closed off, and making a left from College Avenue to Keith Avenue is rather difficult.  If there are four cars waiting, then all south-bound traffic is tied up.

One Montclarion suggested quick changes to the traffic light, by providing a longer left turn arrow.  Another idea would be to work on the retrofit after regular work or commute hours instead.  We vote for the traffic light timing change.

BART officials responded and said they were trying to work with the City of Oakland to resolve the issue – because Oakland controls the signal.  With this simple fix, a lot of people will be less angst-ridden!

It always seems to take a while for traffic lights to get adjusted or turned on.  Is anyone from the City listening out there?

Tweets From Today In Montclair

There was plenty of Twitter news yesterday, because the messaging system crashed briefly.  We think this outage happened while Barbara Walters and friends were chatting about it on their daily gabfest, The View.  Once again, an arcane SOMA start-up has entered the mainstream.

In a nutshell, Twitter enables you to leave short notes or “tweets” about anything.  You can subscribe to what your friends, families and work associates are saying, too.  Your faithful Montclair Blogger even decided to jump on the bandwagon, and began sending tweets as well.

Twitter MontclairOak

For starters, we show our blog headlines as another access point.  You can pick them up online, via your computer, iPhone or crackberry.  The place feels kind of empty right now, though that can change quickly if you sign up and follow us.

Twitter creates an informal channel to send quick messages to each other.  We hope to discover neighbors who want to comment about their Montclair doings, and create a two-way street.  (This is quite different than our social site, where there’s more time and room to share things.)

Anyway, I decided to check what folks are already saying about Montclair on Twitter.  Things are looking up since last year, when we read disparaging tweets about snooty Montclarions admiring their own perfection.

One San Franciscan recently went biking in Redwood Park, and grabbed a nice burger afterwards in Montclair.  After driving around different Oakland neighborhoods, he tweeted:  “It was very nice. Oakland does have a bad rap.”

Now let’s see what Montclarions have to tweet, in a whopping 140 characters or less.  It’s okay if you need to complain about your commute – or say whatever comes to mind.

New Montclair Fundraiser In The Works

We’re always game for a good cause, especially when bribed by food and drinks.

The Montclair Village Association has announced a brand-new Restaurant Walk this spring, which is destined to become an annual charity event.  Coupon books are getting printed now, and will soon be sold for $25/pop at these locations.

Then you’ll be set to nosh your way through 18 places – all in one April night.  The coupons list what each restaurant or shop will offer, so you’ll be able to plan ahead for  the key pit stops.

Montclair Restaurant Walk

This April 21st event is actually a joint effort between the Montclair Village Association and Lions Club.  Proceeds will be donated to the Lions Club as well as other charities.  After years of the same Easter Egg Hunt and Halloween Parade, it’s about time the Lions branched out!

For more info, please click here or e-mail  montclairvillage@sbcglobal.net.

That Fresh Industrial Air Problem

There’s no question that Oakland mixes up the good and bad, and air quality falls in this camp too.  You can breathe fresh air in the hills, and smog isn’t part of our language.  If you are near the industrial zones or freeways, then expect to take in a more toxic stew.

Industrial pollution is impacting the health of Oaklanders. Take a look at this Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD) map from last year, showing asthma emergencies.   The darker colors show the worst rates for kids, and you can see the absolutely worst areas surrounding the Port of Oakland – at two to three times the rate of other places.

Alameda County Asthma

Health Impacts Are Real

According to an Alameda County study, the pollution impacts West and North Oakland residents over the long haul.  Research shows there’s a 2.5x greater lifetime risk of  cancer for these Oaklanders versus all Bay Area residents.

The study claimed that 71% of the risk comes from truck traffic and that residents breathe three times more diesel particles.  In West Oakland alone, researchers concluded that risks could be as high as five-fold indoors and nine-fold outdoors.

Not surprisingly, more people living below the poverty line also live closer to the pollution.  About twice as many poor live within one mile of toxic release sites (13.4%) than 2.5 miles away (7.4%).  The pollution is visible to local kids, who are learning that soot at home comes from Port activity.

Some Schools Present Risks

The connection between children’s health and nearby pollutants is well-documented, and the California Legislature even passed a law prohibiting new school construction closer than 500 feet from roads with 100,000+ vehicles daily.  That’s a good start, but where does that leave Oakland today?

It turns out that Oakland has seven schools located near high-traffic freeways, among the ten grandfathered schools in Alameda County. There are no remediation plans for these older schools. Additionally there are 47 schools in Alameda County next to roads with 25,000-100,000 vehicles daily.

What Should Be Done?

Alameda County health officials have proposed a series of fixes, and some seem quite plausible.  Truck traffic could be controlled better, by eliminating trucks in residential neighborhoods and enforcing no-idling laws near schools.  Additionally, the schools near freeways could be retrofit with heating and ventilation system upgrades if funded.

Of course, there are bigger picture recommendations from the health officials which seem beyond scope.  Shippers and truckers should be focused on reducing their emissions, though the green incentives and approaches are tough for Oakland to tackle on its own.

It’s a difficult balancing act.  The Port of Oakland is an important part of our economy, which means we generally welcome the truck traffic through the city.   Yet the health impact on nearby residents is undeniable, and we must figure out how to be kinder and gentler – we don’t live in the Third World.