Let Me Ask You a Question....

Image of postcard found on alamedainfo.com

Are you concerned with your property values?  Would you like to see your neighborhood look more pleasant?  Do you need a safe place to take the kids and dogs to run around?  We're looking for a few words from our neighbors to take to Caltrans (the owner of the lot) to convince them that we want this.  What would this park mean to you?  How would a park improve the neighborhood?  For an example, here's a couple that have already been left on our googlegroup:

"This dog park will provide a safe, legal place for people to exercise  
their dogs and to meet other dog owners from the area.

If it includes a children's play area and a community garden, as is  
proposed, it will also be a powerful force for building community in  
this part of Oakland.

Reclaiming unused and sometimes blighted property in this socially-
beneficial way will be an improvement for the Telegraph corridor.

If we are successful at creating this park, I will be active in its  
design, development, and maintenance. Building community is an  
activity that I have been passionate about for the last 20 years."
Don Link

"I'm less excited about the prospect of a dog park than I am about the
idea of having a park. I walk by the corner usually once a day or more
and having something pleasant to look at rather than a tangle of vines
and weeds would make me feel good. I grew up near a park and often
would go there to sit and contemplate the eternal verities—the
proximity of the freeway makes that less likely here, but it'd be nice
to have some park space around the corner.

My own desires for the space would include a community garden, native
plant landscaping, and an area for people to sit. I'd also like a
couple of trees--I'd love to see more street trees on Carberry and the
stretch of Aileen from Telegraph to Shattuck in general, because it
will help cool the heat reflecting from the cement on hot days, reduce
noise pollution, invite in birds, and enhance the quality of the
street thanks to their ability to positively affect people's
psychologically (a good list of benefits of an urban forest is here:
http://www.state.sc.us/forest/urbben.htm)."
Frank