Community Park Master Plan rewrite responds to community concerns
By Sora O'Doherty
The revised master plan for the Orinda Community Park adopted by the city council on June 12 appears to make everybody happy. When plans for revising the plan were brought to the council last March, there was a public outcry against some aspects of the plan, which would have basically ended the three-decades-long run of the Orinda Starlight Village Players and replaced the popular tennis wall with bocce ball courts. The new plan does not include bocce ball courts, which may later be placed in another location, such as Orinda Oaks Park. OSVP will be accommodated with a box office and a bathroom nearby, while another bathroom will be located nearer the children's playgrounds.
Todd Trimble, director of Parks and Recreation, said that the original plan was assessed as requiring $25 million, but that the new plan might cost even less. Carolyn Mills, chair of the Parks and Rec Foundation, said that the foundation, which has raised millions of dollars for recreation in Orinda since its inception in 1975 before Orinda was incorporated, supports the new plans. Former mayor Laura Abrams also supports the new plans, and was happy to see the tennis practice wall remaining and OSVP being accommodated. Jill Gelster of OSVP thanked the council for accommodating the group with the box office and bathroom. Vice Mayor Inga Miller was also happy to endorse the changes, having served as liaison to the Parks and Recreation Commission before being elected to the city council.
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