It took eight years, countless hours
of lobbying and $145,000, but residents in the West Berkeley neighborhood
surrounding the city's corporation yard are finally getting a soundwall
to reduce the noise from the site... Construction of the $145,000 concrete-block soundwall
began early this month and is expected to be finished by the end of
November. Neighbors consulted with city architects on the design of
the wall, which will include a vine covering to make it blend in better
with the surrounding residential area. Excerpt from Neighborhood welcome sound wall, Will Harper, Berkeley Voice, September 21, 1995
"Mending Wall" by Robert Frost (1914)
Something there is that doesn't love a wall,
That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it,
And spills the upper boulders in the sun;
And makes gaps even two can pass abreast.
…
'Why do they make good neighbors? Isn't it
Where there are cows? But here there are no cows.
Before I built a wall I'd ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offense.
Something there is that doesn't love a wall,
That wants it down
(Perhaps Mr. Frost never had the opportunity to live next to a public works facility like Berkeley's corporation yard, located in a residential area, R2. In this particular case "Good (soundwalls) fences make good neighbors"... Berkeleycitizen
)
 Traffic
in Transit (1995) Transportation plan for Berkeley's Corporation
Yard, Public Works' fleet operations, and trip reduction. Examines
the existing burden on the surrounding neighborhood of 450 vehicles
fueling at the Corp Yard and the high cost of such a policy. |
 Berkeley's
Storm Drain System: Portal to the Bay (1992) This nine-minute
video includes a community tour of the city's Corporation yard,
the Public Works Department operations, and surface water/urban
runoff concerns. |
 Berkeley's
Public Works: Moving into the 21st Century (1997) Presentation of issues discussed by the Council Subcommittee
on Alternative Fueling Sites, including a look at Public Works'
fleet management and land use over the past one hundred years. |
 |
Vietnam Memorial Wall in
Civic Center Park, Berkeley (1997)
more to come...
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