How much would it cost to replace the services People’s Park provides?
This is open letter to City of Berkeley Mayor and Councilmembers, and University of California at Berkeley administration, Daily Californian, Berkeley Daily Planet, and members of the Berkeley community.
As plans are being proposed to build on People’s Park, we must assess how, where and who would pay to replace the services the Park currently provides, mostly free of charge. Getting rid of People’s Park will not get rid of the problems of poverty and homelessness in our community. It will aggravate it. Of course the Park has not created these problems but it has held and tried to alleviate some. If the Park is built upon we will need to consider how to replace the following services:
1. Day time drop in Center for 50-200 people: new facility $1,000,000 yearly staff: $300,000 possible locations: Clark Kerr Campus? Shattuck Ave?
2. Community cultural gathering venue holding at least 300 that allows free amplified concerts and events up to 10 times per year (a very important part of local free speech): 10 free leases of the Greek Theater or building an electrified stage at Willard Park or building a new venue on campus or at the sports facilities behind Willard pool? Or at the sports courts between Channing, College and Haste?
3. Free Food Service for around 75 people per day: Cost estimate $6 x 75 x 365 =$164,250 per year. Maybe at Willard, Ohlone, UC Campus or Live Oak Parks?
4. Distribution of free clothes: Small Free clothes store or box located on Southside. $750,000 initially, $150,000 annually
5. Mental Health counselors: It would be very difficult to replace the peer counseling and socialization people benefit from their time in People’s Park. Weekly sessions with therapists would likely be much less effective than the current situation and multiple further problems and costs will likely arise. At a bare minimum Mental Health worker hours 100/ week @ $50/hour = $5000/ week, $260,000/ year
6. Day time napping area. Lack of sleep among the disenfranchised is dangerous and costly, as all humans cannot function without proper sleep. Napping areas would need to be provided on campus, other parks or in open nearby facilities.
7. Sports facilities for basketball, frisbee, yoga etc.. Either new sports areas open to the public will need to be built or there will need to be accommodations for open use at current facilities.
8. Smoking areas could be set up along Telegraph, perhaps at the site of the old Berkeley Inn on Haste. Benches along Shattuck and Telegraph could be added.
9. Community Garden plots and Food and Herbal Medicine grown in the Park. We would need to allocate a significant lot to accommodate a new community garden. The local food and medicine grown and the soothing nature of gardening cannot be replaced by money. Investment into property for community gardens will be needed and will likely be expensive with the growing cost of nearby real estate.
10. Carbon offsets and Oxygen bars. The current green plants in the Park absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. To compensate currently built upon areas would need to be transformed to trees and plants, though it would take time to reach the maturity of People’s Park’s vegetation so a further compensation would be required to stay carbon neutral.
11. Emergency gathering sites. Loss of open areas will increase danger in times of earthquakes, fires or other disasters. Leaving other open areas near the dense population around the current Park is recommended otherwise locals will need to run to campus or Willard Parks.
12. Water drainage. The almost 3 acres of permeable land and plantings absorb considerable water during the winter rains. That resource would be lost and runoff will need to be channeled away perhaps through new drains. Derby creek resurfaces in the Park during wet periods flowing through the southwest quarter of the Park.
13. Natural settings for calming and reconnecting with nature and community. Priceless
14. Public Bathrooms. Berkeley has suffered for years looking for sites for public bathrooms which are still woefully inadequate. The University or would need to allocate funds and land for building and upkeep of bathrooms if the Park is removed. Funding will be needed for the difficult community process of siting more bathrooms as well.
Frankly it is far less expensive to keep the People’s Park, allowing a place where anyone who needs it, can rest their bones. Berkeley and UC are unprepared and likely unable to provide the services the current Park does. Our community will suffer greatly if people who now use the park seek what they need for healthy, happy lives elsewhere. Telegraph Ave, UC Campus or Willard Park used as such will not make anyone happy. The Park is the last refuge for folks not accepted in other parts of Berkeley. Taking that away would be a grave and inhumane mistake.
— Terri Compost, 510-926-0468, June 7, 2018