Many of you may already know about the passing on June 19, 2016 of Ken Arutunian, a former Barron Park neighbor, who designed Bol Park and was active for many years in the BPA and in many significant local issues. An article about him and how he moved a 2-story house to Matadero Ave. in 1968 is in the BPA Summer 2016 newsletter. We send condolences to his family and his friends.
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/sfgate/obituary.aspx?pid=180482353
As many residents know, the City of Palo Alto is working on a 25-year Parks, Trails, Open Space and Recreation Master Plan for Palo Alto, including Bol Park. For each park, the city is proposing a variety of upgrades in response to today’s requirements and interests of our population, and the city has been reaching out to ask for community input and feedback on the proposals (e.g., community workshop on 2/11/16, community meeting on 5/25/16, online review at the above website, and more to come).
Overall, this is an exciting long-term development for our city, even as some of the concrete proposals for Bol Park may not fit our environment (e.g., the heritage of this park). In order to ensure organized involvement, the Board of the Barron Park Association has authorized the formation of a committee to study this issue, prepare a response, and work with the city to ensure appropriate upgrades that reflect community-wide concerns. The board appointed long-time resident and former BPA President Dick Placone as chairperson.
Dick will reach out with further information in the coming days and weeks. We are hoping for wide-spread input and participation, from long-time residents to newcomers, and from our youth to families to senior residents, reflecting the diverse community of our neighborhood using this park. We believe that we need to strive for a balance between remembering our past and providing for today’s needs. And, while Bol Park will be the focus, we believe that it may also make sense to think beyond it, in particular to Juana Briones Park and “Strawberry Hill” (the triangle area on the edge of Gunn’s property), where some of the proposed features could be implemented. Note that there is plenty of time, as even the short-term work is scheduled for around a 5-year time frame.
Further options to be involved is to provide feedback to the city online and to attend some of the community meetings. You can also sign up for emails from the city to stay involved and updated with the city’s process.
Markus Fromherz
BPA President
The next bi-monthly senior lunch will be a picnic in Bol Park at 1:00 pm with Driftwood Deli delivering box lunches consisting of a sandwich, chips, cookies, fruit and a drink, all for the low price of $10. We are able to order ahead of time to pick our choice of the sandwich and drink.
We bring our own chairs and sit on level ground in a shady area and always enjoy the casual atmosphere of the park and sounds of the birds.
If you are interested in joining us, please either call Julie Spengler at 493-9151 or email juliespengler@sbcglobal.net by Friday, June 10th, so we can make a name tag for you and place your order.
Hope to see many of you there.
JOIN US FOR MAY FETE 2016!
SUNDAY, MAY 22nd AT BOL PARK FROM NOON TO 4 PM
Come and enjoy live musicians and dancers. They will perform all afternoon, with a Maypole dance at 2:30. Bring the family and a blanket and make a picnic of it. Hamburgers, Hot Dogs and Snacks will also be for sale. Wear ribbons. There will also be games and crafts for the children, donkeys and donkey art, and the history exhibit. Activities will include face painting for children, donkey parade and more!
The May Fete is a volunteer effort. If you’d like to help and volunteer, or if you’d like to propose a display or activity, contact the event organizer, Sarah Van Zanten at bpmayfete@gmail.com or the volunteer coordinator, John King at johnwadeking@gmail.com. Looking forward to seeing you there!
