Three Orinda city parks -- the mini-park outside of Theatre Square, Orinda Community Park, and a possible off-leash dog park -- were discussed by the city council on Oct. 1. None of the discussions resulted in immediate actions.
The longest discussion was devoted to the mini-park. This gateway to Orinda has been under discussion for at least five years, or as council member Inga Miller pointed out, at least 10 years if you consider the previous considerations by the Parks Commission.
At one point, the Orinda Community Foundation (OCF) had promised to contribute $200,000, but after years of inactivity by the city, the OCF dropped their commitment down to just $50,000. Funding is the problem that has kept the project from moving forward.
Currently available funding consists of the OCF's $50,000 and an additional $55,000 from Fund 240/Park Dedication. However, the staff report did indicate that going forward the Orinda Garden Club has indicated that they are interested in providing some funding for the project, possibly up to $100,000.
The staff report also reminded the council that the land is owned by PG&E, and that the company has a say in what project elements will be allowed. Council member Janet Riley suggested that the mini-park really isn't a park at all, but an entrance to the city, which should be designed to impress those entering Orinda with how beautiful it is. She was particularly taken with the idea of lighted trees at the back of the property.
The council received a slide presentation from their consultant, Gates & Associates. The council had requested an update in July. The presentation addressed two main components: the Orinda monument sign, and the landscaping and hardscaping of the park. Gates presented four potential levels of treatment.
The four levels and estimated costs presented were, baseline: $150,000; frontage: $200,000; new landscape: $300,000, and full renovation: $500,000.
Baseline would be limited to just a small area around the new Orinda sign. Frontage would be a larger area in front of the fountain. A new landscape would refresh all landscaped areas. A full renovation would be based on the 2019 design and would replace all paving and refresh all landscape areas.
As the council discussion progressed, it appeared that the 2019 design was actually quite popular with the council members. They discussed at length the appearance of the Orinda sign. The consultant presented a number of options, ranging from freestanding concrete letters spelling out Orinda, which seemed to garner no support, to an artist-designed mosaic wall with the Orinda letters on the front.
The second park to be discussed was Orinda Community Park. With a much larger price tag of $4 million, that project has also been under consideration for a long time. A Community Park Master Plan update was presented to the council in 2016; a revised plan was adopted in 2018 and then updated again in 2021. Without funding, however, little progress was made in implementing the plan, beyond tree removal to allow for future improvements to the restroom.
At this point, Contra Costa County requires that access to the park be upgraded to the standards required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) before any other work can be done on the park. Although there currently is a ramp from the north side of the park, apparently it does not meet ADA standards. The only possible solution appears to be a new ramp on the west side of the park. Although the south side of the park, adjoining the Community Center, does not have stairs, it is too steep to be considered ADA compliant.
Therefore, the plan is currently to move forward with the new ADA ramp and to also renovate the restroom. The cost for this portion of the plan is estimated at $683,000.
The last park to be considered by the council was a proposed off-leash dog park at Wilder. Previously, the council had considered a dog park at Orinda Oaks Park, but the uphill location presented significant difficulties and costs for providing ADA access. At that time, the Wilder location was being considered for a potential Pickleball area.
When the council considered Wilder for Pickleball courts, the location was possible, but a little less than ideal. Four courts could fit comfortably, and five with a little less than ideal orientation. However, in either case, the costs were very high, in part owing to the changes to the area that would be required to put in proper ADA access.
During the discussion, it became apparent that there really is no other site for pickleball courts in Orinda. And it was unclear how much use would be made of an off-leash dog park at Wilder. Council member Brandyn Iverson suggested a trial use of Orinda Oaks park as an off-leash dog park.
City Manager David Biggs noted that Moraga offers an off-leash experience at Rancho Laguna Park, although he added that their Parks & Rec director says that he wished that they hadn't. He suggested that they could try off-leash dogs at Orinda Oaks for a limited period, to see if it would be popular. He suggested Monday through Friday during the hours when children are in school.
Parks and Rec Director Todd Trimble informed the council that dog owners already let their dogs off leash in many parks, adding that it presents issues for his staff, particularly at the athletic fields.
The council thought it would be a good idea to seek more input from the public, possibly through a pop up dog park trial and perhaps by asking public opinion at the Farmer's Market. Staff was directed to come back to the council in the future regarding a pop-up dog park.
The presentations on the three parks projects are available to the public at https://cityoforinda.app.box.com/s/ph3q5jmb3sk0hw5rz2o417ka68qf61l8/folder/287270385063
The longest discussion was devoted to the mini-park. This gateway to Orinda has been under discussion for at least five years, or as council member Inga Miller pointed out, at least 10 years if you consider the previous considerations by the Parks Commission.
At one point, the Orinda Community Foundation (OCF) had promised to contribute $200,000, but after years of inactivity by the city, the OCF dropped their commitment down to just $50,000. Funding is the problem that has kept the project from moving forward.
Currently available funding consists of the OCF's $50,000 and an additional $55,000 from Fund 240/Park Dedication. However, the staff report did indicate that going forward the Orinda Garden Club has indicated that they are interested in providing some funding for the project, possibly up to $100,000.
The staff report also reminded the council that the land is owned by PG&E, and that the company has a say in what project elements will be allowed. Council member Janet Riley suggested that the mini-park really isn't a park at all, but an entrance to the city, which should be designed to impress those entering Orinda with how beautiful it is. She was particularly taken with the idea of lighted trees at the back of the property.
The council received a slide presentation from their consultant, Gates & Associates. The council had requested an update in July. The presentation addressed two main components: the Orinda monument sign, and the landscaping and hardscaping of the park. Gates presented four potential levels of treatment.
The four levels and estimated costs presented were, baseline: $150,000; frontage: $200,000; new landscape: $300,000, and full renovation: $500,000.
Baseline would be limited to just a small area around the new Orinda sign. Frontage would be a larger area in front of the fountain. A new landscape would refresh all landscaped areas. A full renovation would be based on the 2019 design and would replace all paving and refresh all landscape areas.
As the council discussion progressed, it appeared that the 2019 design was actually quite popular with the council members. They discussed at length the appearance of the Orinda sign. The consultant presented a number of options, ranging from freestanding concrete letters spelling out Orinda, which seemed to garner no support, to an artist-designed mosaic wall with the Orinda letters on the front.
The second park to be discussed was Orinda Community Park. With a much larger price tag of $4 million, that project has also been under consideration for a long time. A Community Park Master Plan update was presented to the council in 2016; a revised plan was adopted in 2018 and then updated again in 2021. Without funding, however, little progress was made in implementing the plan, beyond tree removal to allow for future improvements to the restroom.
At this point, Contra Costa County requires that access to the park be upgraded to the standards required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) before any other work can be done on the park. Although there currently is a ramp from the north side of the park, apparently it does not meet ADA standards. The only possible solution appears to be a new ramp on the west side of the park. Although the south side of the park, adjoining the Community Center, does not have stairs, it is too steep to be considered ADA compliant.
Therefore, the plan is currently to move forward with the new ADA ramp and to also renovate the restroom. The cost for this portion of the plan is estimated at $683,000.
The last park to be considered by the council was a proposed off-leash dog park at Wilder. Previously, the council had considered a dog park at Orinda Oaks Park, but the uphill location presented significant difficulties and costs for providing ADA access. At that time, the Wilder location was being considered for a potential Pickleball area.
When the council considered Wilder for Pickleball courts, the location was possible, but a little less than ideal. Four courts could fit comfortably, and five with a little less than ideal orientation. However, in either case, the costs were very high, in part owing to the changes to the area that would be required to put in proper ADA access.
During the discussion, it became apparent that there really is no other site for pickleball courts in Orinda. And it was unclear how much use would be made of an off-leash dog park at Wilder. Council member Brandyn Iverson suggested a trial use of Orinda Oaks park as an off-leash dog park.
City Manager David Biggs noted that Moraga offers an off-leash experience at Rancho Laguna Park, although he added that their Parks & Rec director says that he wished that they hadn't. He suggested that they could try off-leash dogs at Orinda Oaks for a limited period, to see if it would be popular. He suggested Monday through Friday during the hours when children are in school.
Parks and Rec Director Todd Trimble informed the council that dog owners already let their dogs off leash in many parks, adding that it presents issues for his staff, particularly at the athletic fields.
The council thought it would be a good idea to seek more input from the public, possibly through a pop up dog park trial and perhaps by asking public opinion at the Farmer's Market. Staff was directed to come back to the council in the future regarding a pop-up dog park.
The presentations on the three parks projects are available to the public at https://cityoforinda.app.box.com/s/ph3q5jmb3sk0hw5rz2o417ka68qf61l8/folder/287270385063
Reach the reporter at:
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA