Montclarion Article
6/19/2001

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Published Tuesday, June 19, 2001

Stairs project near completion
* Merriewood stairs should be completely useable by the end of the summer

By Charles Anthony
STAFF WRITER

The city is almost at the top of the stairs.

By the end of this summer, residents should be able to use all sections of the Merriewood stairs.

"We hope to have the stairs completed before the rainy season begins," said Berry Weiland, assistant director of Oakland's Public Works Agency.

He said the next section of the stairs to be worked on is the upper section, extending from the intersection of Merriewood and Thornhill drives all the way to the top of the stairs at Abbott Drive. The old stairs will have to be demolished before the new ones are constructed, he said.

The city has contracted with Don Dommer Associates, a private architectural firm, to design the new stairs which Weiland said would be similar to the old ones. There would be a few minor improvements, he said, including landings and safety railings.

The possibility of having risers was discussed, but did not settle well with residents, Weiland said. Although risers would help to prevent people from getting their feet, canes or crutches stuck between steps, they allow water to collect, which would cause them to rot quickly. Weiland said Public Works will check with the ADA department to see if risers are acceptable.

Whatever the decision, he said, "We'll go with what the community wants."

Montclair resident Kirk Van Druten, who maintains a community Web site advocating the reconstruction of the stairs, said that one of the initial plans to use palstic, composite, recycled materials for the stairs no longer seems appropriate.

"The products have a maximum 24-inch span and do not have the same horizontal span that standard wood boards do," he said. This would require four stringers instead of three running the entire length of the stairs from top to bottom, resulting in higher cost.

The current plan is to build the upper Merriewood stairs out of redwood. Van Druten requested that non-old growth timber be used, which he said was accepted by the city. His Web site states that according to the plans the stairs will be constructed on top of cement piers sited every 6 feet. Some sections of the stairs may sit higher off the ground than the previous stairs because of this new design. Van Druten said that safety specifications require that the sides be enclosed to prohibit the passing of a minimum-sized four-inch sphere -- keeping small children safe.

Weiland said the design review will be in its final stages in the next three weeks and after that the city should be ready to "go put them in."

"The whole project has been very smooth and it's a good example of how public and private industries can work together to get things done," he said.

Funding for the stairs has already been slated in the city's budget.

In December 2000, the Merriewood stairs were placed on a City Council "Top 10" list of most dilapidated stairways and walkways in Oakland. There are 75 such stairways in the city.

For more information, visit the community Web site at www.lansharks.net/stairs