TRI-VALLEY HERALD

 

Creek, public restroom get bids Proposed city projects to go before Pleasanton council tonight By Brian Foley, STAFF WRITER Inside Bay Area Tuesday, May 16, 2006 PLEASANTON — Bids for two city projects came back last week, in time for tonights City Council meeting, which might give a sense as to how much money the council is willing to spend. The city received three bids for the Kottinger Creek restoration project, ranging from $850,000 to $1.1 million. The plan would convert an extensive drainage ditch into an ecologically sound creek. Native vegetation and trees would replace storm culverts and railings. Advocates who live upstream have argued that a restored creek would enhance the park and offer visiting school classes a chance to learn about ecology. There is no downside, said Pat Griffin, who lives on Kottinger Drive. Its environmentally friendly. It will be a prototype for future projects for other creeks. Opponents believe the project is too expensive and that the plan is more about aesthetics than environmental stewardship. At a City Council meeting in March, some residents said they feared the design would cause potential flooding. The city has applied for a state grant and anticipates an answer in June. Butaccording to the staff report, city officials do not expect to win a grant because the state hasnt contacted the city to inspect the site. A separate city project to build a public restroom at Delucchi Park on First Street attracted two bids. The lowest bid came in at about $383,000. This gives me heartburn to spend this much money on a bathroom, Councilman Steve Brozosky said Thursday at the Chamber of Commerce. Calls for a downtown public restrooms came about because pedestrians often rely on restrooms in Main Street businesses. The design would include a womans room with six stalls, a mens room with two stalls and two urinals, and a diaper-changing station. Also to be discussed tonight is Bernal Community Park, a huge stretch of land spanning more than 300 acres that the city acquired from San Francisco. The council is expected to review design plans, which include, among other ideas, a theater, a day-care center, a 50-acre park and the installation of trails and wetlands. Whatever plans for the park are made must be approved by voters, possibly in November. Staff writer Brian Foley can be reached at (925) 416-4818 and bfoley@trivalleyherald.com. http://www.insidebayarea.com/search/ci_3827928