| | Published July 4th, 2012
| Orinda's "Paul Park" - More Science Fiction than Fact?
| | Laurie Snyder |  | | Did rush hour traffic ever look like this? The Orinda Theatre was the heart of the community in the early 1950s, Highway 24 bringing the lifeblood of families and children to the region. Circled at left is the area mistakenly identified as "Paul Park" by Google Maps in 2012. No DeLorean needed to time travel back thanks to this pre-construction aerial photo from the California Department of Transportation.
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The mission began with a simple query from reader Brett Tribble. Puzzling over a Google map which pointed to a distinctly odd spot for recreating, he wrote, "What is the story with the small piece of land called 'Paul Park' that is part of the Orinda exit from 24.... I'm assuming that it might have been a piece of land that was owned by someone named 'Paul' which was donated to the city as a park ... or that there was a park in that area before 24 went through."
Neither Orinda's Historical Society, nor city or county officials knew of a park at this location. Laurie Smith checked with fellow Orinda Garden Club members and others, but found no answer. And they would most likely know because they beautify that strip of land each year.
Allyn Amsk, Public Information Officer for Caltrans' District 4 Office, mined all manner of records - plus the memory of a former colleague and Orinda resident. "Construction for the Orinda interchange began in September 1953 and was completed in April 1955. I checked plans ... but did not see any references to Paul Park. MapQuest does not show Paul Park, which supports the idea that it is a misnomer," he said. Additionally, a 1986 book on Orinda's history by Louis L. Stein, Jr. also "has no mention of such a park."
Amsk also pointed out that "the topography is too steep for any such typical 'park' use," and provided a fascinating pre-construction image of the interchange.
Funny - But Not Really
When Googling the phrase "Paul Park" in combination with "Orinda," one receives 3,600,000 results. In one, a web advertisement of a nearby apartment vacancy touts Paul Park as an amenity; however, walkscore.com designates the area as only "Somewhat Walkable."
The realization that this may have been a prank dawns when Googling only "Paul Park" (without "Orinda"). Multiple web links pop up for Paul Park, described by one science fiction reviewer as "one of the most intriguing of SF writers." (www.sfsite.com/10b/il138.htm.)
Somewhat amusing and probably harmless, unless someone unfamiliar with the area attempts to cross the busy intersection in search of the phantom park.
So, the next stop was Google. When informed that State and local officials confirmed that the strip of land in question is not an actual park and asked to explain how it could have not only been designated as such, but given a human name by a web-based mapping system, Google spokeswoman Deanna Yick responded:
"Google is committed to providing our users with the richest, most up-to-date maps possible. As part of this effort we continuously explore ways to integrate new information from our users and authoritative partners into Google Maps. We've built our map from a wide range of sources, ranging from the U.S. Census Bureau to commercial data providers, and have used satellite, aerial, and Street View imagery to help complete it. Overall, this provides a very comprehensive and up-to-date map, but we recognize that there may be occasional inaccuracies that could arise from any of those sources. As always, we encourage users to let us know when something is incorrect by using our "Report a Problem" tool, found at the bottom right corner of the map, or by contributing their local knowledge and updates to the map using Google Map Maker. In this case, I've already gone ahead and let our team know about the issue..."
When asked for clarification whether the investigating team would be able to determine if the error was caused by a commercial data source - or by a local teen or other Google user pulling a prank, Sean Carlson, Google's Manager of Global Communications & Public Affairs, responded "We wouldn't be able to share more detail."
After being advised that the park misnomer might potentially present a safety problem, Carlson then wrote: "We use a combination of both automated and manual systems to review the accuracy of edit submissions before updates are made to the map. In addition, we can confirm that the incorrect label and green coloring marking the area in question as Paul Park on the map has already been removed."
It may live forever, however, somewhere in cyberspace.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA