Barron Park Association Newsletter
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WINTER 2015 BARRON PARK ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE DIWALI REPORT Markus Fromherz, BPA President by Markus Fromherz ou have in front of you n If you have volunteered before, join the another newsletter full board! Your voice and your expertise are of interesting informa- nowhere as impactful for the community Ytion about Barron Park. 2015 as on the BPA board. If you have an impor- has been a year of growth for tant issue you would like to champion, we the BPA, with several new board members, are always open for your ideas and con- new kinds of events for the community, cerns. Or join if you just want to participate and new and increasing activities around on a fun and productive board. development and environmental issues. Think about it and take action before you Just consider the recent Diwali celebra- set this newsletter aside! Send me an email tion (our latest cultural diversity event) or if you can help. the city council decision on facilities with I hope you participated in the recent BPA Dear Jaya and most excellent hazardous materials (an issue that the BPA Meet and Learn survey. We had three suc- team of volunteers, regularly participated in over the years) or cessful Meet and Learn events in 2015 and the recent planting along the Bol Park path asked for your favorite topics for future On behalf of the BPA Board, I’d like to (for which the BPA even formed a commit- events. We got great responses from fifty congratulate and thank you for a fantastic tee this year). people! Look for a new series of Meet and Diwali celebration in Barron Park! Please All of this is made possible by your mem- Learn events in 2016 on culture, food, convey our gratitude for all the hard and bership in the BPA and by volunteers who health, travel, and more. wonderful work that you all did to create an outstanding event. You drew a big contribute their time and talents for their If you haven’t come to a BPA Community crowd, you delighted them with fun and community. Both are important to make Happy Hour before or in a while, join exceptional performances, and you en- our association work! us. It’s every third Tuesday of the month, gaged them with food and dancing. With 5–6pm, at a local restaurant. (They are Please consider doing the following for your (and Lydia’s) contributions, Barron announced on the BPA-News mailing list.) your neighborhood. Park is becoming an ever friendlier and We regularly have 10–15 people and are n funner neighborhood and also a model for If you are a member, renew now for the always happy to welcome new folks! new year. If you are not a member, sign up the rest of Palo Alto. (Our mayor, Karen I am pleased to be your President of the today! Your financial contribution pays for Holman, said so.) This is no easy feat! Board of the BPA for another year. I am this newsletter and supports many of our Again, thank you and congratulations! also happy to welcome Jaya Pandey as Vice events and activities. President for this coming year. Together —Markus n If you have been a member for a while, with the rest of the board, we look forward PS: Thanks also to board members who volunteer! We always need help with to your ideas and your contributions as helped, especially Gwen Luce and Lisa events and on our committees. members of the Barron Park Association! Landers. INSIDE Bol2 Park A4 Turning The6 End of Inception14 of Art15 Pathway—A Point—CPI Creek Flooding Green Beans of in the Brief History and Zoning in Barron Park? Barron Park Park WINTER 2015 Bol Park Pathway—A Brief History by Richard Placone n 1974, through the efforts of residential leaders in the Barron Park community, and the generosity of the resident Bol family, Bol Park was created. Toward the end of the IBol Park construction, the Southern Pacific Railroad Company was persuaded to donate to the community the abandoned railroad right of way that ran along the western boundary of Bol Park from Hansen Way to Arastradero Road. This right of way was immediately incorporated into the Bol Park plans to become the Bol Park Pathway so much used by the communi- ty for recreational walking, by parents taking youngsters for a ride in their strollers, and bikers heading for trails beyond or commuting to school and work. The Bol Park Pathway may be one of the most highly used trails in Palo Alto. As long time residents of Barron Park know, the entire com- From the Bike Path with Strawberry Hill to the North, Sep. 2009 (before munity voted in late 1975 to annex itself to the City of Palo construction) from Google Street Maps. Alto, which included the park and the pathway. Since that Frank Crossman Crossman Frank From Strawberry Hill Looking North, Sep. 2009 (before construction) from Strawberry Hill looking north, Mar. 2015 (after construction Google Street Maps. started). Frank Crossman Crossman Frank Frank Crossman Crossman Frank Community volunteers on planting day, Oct. 24th 2015. View of VA construction project and new planting on Strawberry Hill Nov. 2015. BARRON PARK 2 ASSOCIATION WINTER 2015 time, the city and the community, through to work with the new committee, promis- pressed their concerns about safety for both the Barron Park Association, have collabo- ing full city cooperation as the committee’s pedestrians and cyclists. In its present state, rated in maintaining the park and adding work progressed. In addition, the VAH pedestrians and bikers use the same right community approved upgrades over time. administration assigned Ronald Bochenek, of way, which is narrow by today’s stan- Disaster Strikes Eunice Tokada and Joanna Fong to work dards. Resolving this will require involving with the committee as well. Working the bicycling community and the City of One sunny morning in late October, a through the BPA, the committee learned Palo Alto to examine feasible solutions, Barron Park resident was walking on the that the Barron Park community had been possibly including physical modifications pathway to work, when she suddenly en- informed about the project in an earlier to the paved pathway. Those of you in the countered what she saw as a disaster in the posting in the BPA Web Page. (VA Con- Barron Park neighborhood with sugges- making—the mature California Live Oak struction and the Bol Park Bike Path Area, tions about this should contact me or any trees, along with all other trees and shrub- November, 2014.) other member of the committee. Persons bery that bordered the pathway, but on the Much has been accomplished since the wishing to join the committee as it begins property of the adjacent Veteran’s Admin- committee’s work began last fall. The city’s the next phase of its work, are invited to istration Hospital, were being bulldozed Landscape architect, Peter Jensen, met contact me. and ripped out, leaving vast areas along with the committee several times, walked the bike path open for the first time to vis- This brings the project up to the present. the pathway with committee members, The committee wants to thank all residents tas of the VA campus. Within a few hours, and met with the VA staff to review the what was once an idyllic and bucolic of the Barron Park community for both vol- construction and landscaping plans. This unteering to be on the committee and the environment surrounding the pathway, be- activity has paid off as follows: came a glaring scar. Shocked, this resident planting day, the city and VA staff, as well immediately returned home to report this 1. Peter has prepared a complete landscape as Canopy and Acterra members who have disaster to family and neighbors. plan for the entire length of the pathway been very helpful in all of the committee’s adjacent to the VA property. His work has endeavors. And so began the formation of the included placement of flags along the path Richard C. Placone, Chair (rcplacone at Bol Park Bike Path Committee. indicating which species of plant goes sbcglobal.net) Neighbors Art Liberman, David Boxerman where. Most plants are native to California and Richard Placone grouped together and drought resistant once established. Committee Members: to see what could be done. David and October 24, 2015 was designated planting Art Liberman, Cedric de la Beaujardiere, Richard set out for the VA campus, and day. The city provided all plant material, Claire Elliott, David Boxerman, Frank once there met with the staff directing the machinery and staff to dig all the holes Crossman, Lynnie Melena, Markus From- construction project. They learned that and provided the planting mulch. A large herz, Peter Mueller what was taking place was a multimillion contingent of Canopy staff and 60 volun- Khashayar Alaee,—City of Palo Alto dollar expansion of the hospital, a project teers from Canopy, Barron Park and other scheduled to be completed in about three neighborhoods turned out to do the actual Ronald Bochenek, Eunice Takuda, Joanna years hence. VA staff were vague about the planting. The VA is providing the initial Fong—VA Hospital matter of the removal of the trees, but did irrigation for two years at no cost to the community. Palo Alto Weekly article ran Nov. 29, 2015: explain that this was a necessary part of Stewards of Bol Park path give it new life the project, since the loop road that circled 2. Cash and Peter, working with the VA http://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/2015/11/ the facility was being relocated to a point staff, successfully persuaded the VA to 29/stewards-of-bol-park-path-give-it-new-life aligned close to the East side VA property modify its landscape plans to meet the line, which parallels the Bol Park pathway.