On September 13th, a course/park designer will pitch several plans for a proposed mountain bike/BMX bike park in Albany. Commissioners will benefit from input and feedback from the public, especially supporters like you, to help decide which plan, if any, to advance to the City Council. Proposed location is adjacent to Pierce St Park – just below it, to the west on Cleveland St. Early discussions described a MTB component around the perimeter space and a BMX component at the interior. The designer said he likes to design with different riding abilities in mind on the same course (very easy, medium, challenging) and to provide different price points for features, their materials, etc. He has designed and built Richmond’s new Dirt World and many other bike parks.
Here is the Design and Estimate Proposal.
Any input – in person or even in writing – you can provide (even just “looks great!” or “our family would use this!” will be helpful).
Separately, input is sought for what may be the final design review for the new and improved trails at Albany Hill Park. Here are the 90% Plans.
*New ADA trail at the top parallel to the ridge line
*Improvements to existing trails at the north
*Improved, re-landscaped access points to the park where Jackson and Madison dead-end
*Stairs plus a bulbout in the SE corner where Taft hits Hillside
The city has received the monarch roosting report it commissioned and is taking its results and recent community input to limit impacts to trees near monarch habitat. Some commissioners including myself (Bryan Marten) want to also use that information to move forward with choosing a select few trees to remove to improve views of the bay, bird habitat at the mud flats, etc. This involves the city approaching the large land owner at the SW corner of the hill which the city has said it will do.
This is the full agenda for the meeting.
PLEASE WRITE LETTERS OF SUPPORT to Albany Staff Liaison Chelle Putzer at cputzer@albanyca.org and request that she send your letter to all members of Albany’s Parks & Rec Commission. Thanks!
Albany Recreation & Community Services continues its Parks, Recreation & Open Space Master Plan update with the second of three workshops designed to gather community feedback. The first Albany Parks community workshop was intended to capture a high-level vision of what changes people would like to see in their park system. This next workshop is intended to focus at a site-specific scale on how those changes might look like. We will be joined on the webinar-style Zoom with the Albany Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Commission.
Significant is that this plan deals not only with parks per se, but also trails and paths like the Ohlone Greenway and the Codornices & Cerrito Creek Paths. Which connections do you and your family need to safely bike or walk where you’re going?
Are there sufficient bike racks and other facilities in our parks and open spaces?
REGISTER FOR THE WORKSHOP HERE
Please take the Albany parks community survey here and follow @albanyparksmp on Instagram for the latest updates. Stay in the loop through www.albanyparks.com. You can also receive Master Plan updates through “Albany Parks Master Plan” eNotifications.
Free Bicycle Valet Parking will again be featured at the Solano Stroll, but with a new twist: the Albany High School Mountain Biking Team will be taking the lead for this important service, using Albany Strollers & Rollers’ specialized racks! The new location will be on Key Route Blvd just north of Solano Avenue – it’s near the Greenway so we’re expecting lots of drop-ins so it’s sure to be busy!!
As usual, AS&R will also have an information table near the lot where we (YOU!) will talk about and answer questions about active transportation stuff!
WE NEED YOU TO MAKE THIS A SUCCESS!
The AHS MTB team could use additional volunteers, so if you’d like to help park bikes (we have parked 300 bikes in the past!!) or volunteer at AS&R’s info table, please contact Amy Smolens .
This is a great gig for kids, too, as long as they are strong enough to roll a bike. If students need volunteer-hours, this is perfect!
VOLUNTEERS (the first 12 to commit) WHO WORK AT LEAST A 4-HR SHIFT AT EITHER LOCATION WILL GET FREE LUNCH PROVIDED BY SUPPORTING SOLANO AVENUE RESTAURANT !!
Some sponsoring businesses may also provide gifts or coupons for our volunteers, too – stay tuned!
Volunteer hours run from 9am-5:30pm so it’s easy to pick a shift that works for you! Please let Amy know if you would prefer to help with the Valet Parking, the Info Table or either one, and if you have time preferences or are flexible.
Since 1974 Solano Avenue and the cities of Albany and Berkeley have hosted the Solano Avenue Stroll, the East Bay’s largest street festival! The Solano Avenue Association , AS&R and Check for Bikes invite you to see what makes Solano Avenue a wonderful place. The Stroll features over five hundred vendors including 50 entertainers (there’s always great music!,) 50 food booths, 150 government and non-profit agencies, 150 juried hand-crafters, a 75 entry parade, state of the art mechanical rides and much more!
230,000 participants and event guests visit from all over the west coast so that’s where YOU come in – many of them ride their bikes, so we need people to help park them in our lots. Lots of them want to talk about cycling and walking around the area, and they want to talk to YOU!
AS&R’s supporting sponsor, Floor Dimensions has donated a long Red Carpet to lead passers-by to our information table and Bicycle Valet Parking lot!
As usual, free Bicycle Valet Parking will be featured at the Solano Stroll on Sunday, September 8! The Albany High School Mountain Biking Team will again be taking the lead for this important service, using Albany Strollers & Rollers’ specialized racks! The location will be on Key Route Blvd just north of Solano Avenue – it’s near the Greenway so like last year, the lot and tables will be plenty busy!!
As we always do, AS&R will also have an information table near the lot where we (YOU!) will talk about and answer questions about active transportation stuff in and around Albany with people at the festival! WE NEED YOU TO MAKE THIS A SUCCESS! Whether you have volunteered before or are interested in helping for the first time, this event is for you!
The AHS MTB team may need additional volunteers, so if you’d like to help park bikes (we have parked 300 bikes in the past!!) or volunteer at AS&R’s info table, please contact Amy Smolens .
Parking bikes is a great gig for kids, too, as long as they are strong enough to roll a bike. If students need volunteer-hours, this is perfect!
VOLUNTEERS (the first 12 to commit) WHO WORK AT LEAST A 4-HR SHIFT WILL GET FREE LUNCH PROVIDED BY LOCAL FAVORITE KIM’S CAFÉ & SANDWICHES!!
Volunteer hours run from 9:15am-5:30pm (the event is 10-5) so it’s easy to pick a shift that works for you! Please let Amy know if you would prefer to help with the Info Table, the Valet Parking or either one, and if you have time preferences or are flexible.
Since 1974 , Solano Avenue and the cities of Albany and Berkeley have hosted the Solano Stroll, the East Bay’s largest street festival! The Solano Avenue Association , AS&R , AHS MTB and Check for Bikes invite you to see what makes Solano Avenue a wonderful place. The Stroll features over five hundred vendors including 50 entertainers (there’s always great music!,) 50 food booths, 150 government and non-profit agencies, 150 juried hand-crafters, a 75 entry parade, state of the art mechanical rides and much more!
230,000 participants and event guests visit from all over the west coast so that’s where you all come in – lots of them want to talk about cycling and walking around the area, and they want to talk to YOU!