Working with natural sand and sand toys allows for creative, active, healthy play for children and fosters their development in many ways.
With minimum legal notice and no posted signs in the park, the Albany Park & Recreation Commission (P&R) voted to remove over 2/3rds of the sand and cover most of the Dartmouth Tot Lot with black rubber. They also instructed the maintenance team to regularly discard any toys left in the park. This decision will fundamentally change the nature of this heavily used and much loved park. The stated purpose of the plan is to improve Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance and decrease required maintenance.
After the vote, Albany city staff worked closely with concerned users of the park to prepare an alternative plan to address all concerns. This new plan is ADA compliant, reduces maintenance issues, retains most of the sand and preserves the character of the park.
At the request of two City Council members, P&R reviewed this new plan at their last meeting. All public comment at the meeting and a letter signed by over 40 people supported the new plan. All but one Commissioner debated if it was even appropriate to consider the alternative plan. One Commissioner stated: “we have already made our decision.”
P&R makes recommendations to City Council. City Council has never been presented with, nor voted on, the community supported alternative plan.
Work to pave over the park is slated to begin June 6. Please help us save this jewel of Albany. Contact your city council member now and ask them to vote for the new community plan that takes care of ALL children.
You can call the city and leave a message for council members at (510) 528-5710. You can email cityhall@albanyca.org
Your City Council:
Farid Javandel, Mayor
Marge Atkinson, Vice Mayor
Joanne Wile
Robert Lieber
Peggy Thompson
Your call or email matters. You can make a difference. A few, very vocal people got this decision made; let the City Council hear from the rest of us.
-Max, Margaret and Ulan McKnight
margaret@yvod.com
