Farm Bay Farm

So here are the results of the very informal poll about what to do about Mif Albright.   You all only voted once, right?   And abided by the honor system that we all learned in grade school right?

1. Keep it a Par 3 golf course 37%
2. Open Space 29%
3. All weather Athletic field 14%
4. Dog Park 6%
5. Other: 6%
6. BMX Bike Park 3%
7. Passive Park (trails, picnic and play areas) 3%
8. Land swap with Ron Cowan 3%
9. Turf Athletic field (soccer and football) 0%

The “other” recommendations were (1) sell the land for money (2) keep it in the public sphere and not give it away (3) JA’s idea.  I had to do the other two from memory because something is all wonky with the poll widget.   Speaking of polls, how do people feel about the polls.   I would put a poll in here to gauge how people liked the polls, but thought that would be excessive.

I was thinking more about the whole Mif Albright question and again about the land swap thing with Ron Cowan.   Right now, as it stands, there is no clear benefit for the City and its residents to allow the swap between the golf course land and the last Cowan parcel.   Unless of course Cowan is willing to foot the entire capital costs for whatever the City decides it wants for the parcel.   In that case, I could see a benefit, but in that case I say we ask for the most expensive thing, like the all weather turf fields.   But if it’s just a straight land swap the City should say thanks, but no thanks.

Although, when I was thinking about alternative uses for the site and came up with another idea.   Bear with me here folks.  Recently some members of CASA came before the City Council to ask for a bit of land in a promiment place in Alameda (like in front of City Hall) to plant a small victory garden.   While the Council wasn’t too keen about the idea of taking away the green space in front of City Hall, the idea was floated to possibly allow the group to use the old service station space across the street.  

So, in addition to giving the group a prominent and visible space in Alameda, how about we allow them to cultivate a much bigger piece of land that will bring that space back to its roots (no pun intended).   Bay Farm island used to be, well farm land, I think I recall someone saying that artichokes or some similiar veggie was grown on BFI.   How poetic would it be to return a swath of to its original usage in a community garden of sorts that will benefit the City and those in the City that may not have land of their own to grow vegetables or fruit.  

I remember when I was a young ‘un living in the Midwest, where there was plenty of land to spare, but the town I lived in set aside these community gardens for families, like ours, who didn’t have land to grow produce.   All the City would need to do is provide the water and the community can do the rest.

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