Montclarion Article 9/15/2000 Back

Published Friday, September 15, 2000
Stairs restoration an uphill battle

Ongoing delays in fixing stairs lost to the firestorm and general neglect
By Stephanie Simons CORRESPONDENT

The Oakland hills have slowly but surely begun to heal since the fire of
1991. Years later, nearly everything is getting a second chance at life --
except for stairways that were completely demolished by the flames.
"I haven't seen (the Broadway Terrace stairs) since the firestorm," said Ted
Schlink, Montclair resident, recently. "(They) were totally burned up and
never rebuilt."

Even stairways that were untouched by the blaze have gone without repair
over the last few years. Councilman Dick Spees said his office has been
swamped with complaints regarding unkempt pathways in the Merriwood
and Oakmore districts and along Leimert Boulevard and Bridgeview Drive.
"There are a lot of (decrepit stairs) throughout the city, particularly in
my district," Spees said. "All the city can do is set policies; we don't
administer them. We've asked Public Works to proceed in maintaining them."
Last February, after receiving a call from Spees' office, Public Works
Agency engineers examined the stairs and estimated repair costs would run
close to $1,000,000. "(Public Works') first response was 'We don't have
any money set aside for stair maintenance, so it'll have to wait until the 2001-02 budget year,' "
Spees said. Dwight Chambers, the agency's operations manager, said the city
is currently in the process of planning repairs. "I'm working with Mike Neary,
our engineer, in construction and design to come up with a program, because we
have so many steps that need repair," Chambers said. "We're going to have to try
to find out how many there are and the cost." Chambers said city engineers are
going to look at each set of stairs individually. "We're looking at 75 to 80 steps
in Oakland, not that all of them need repair. It's going to be treated on a case-by-case
basis," he said. "There's a lot more going on than just repairs. We might have to go in and replace
them. We might be looking at a whole new venue in the city."
Meanwhile, frustration is building in the community because of the delay.
"(Montclair stairs) used to be repaired on a continual basis," Schlink said.
"This seemed to all start with a tree that fell between Doncaster and
Thornhill during a winter storm. It destroyed the stairs. Subsequent to
that, those stairs weren't replaced. That was the catalyst."
Instead of fixing the stairs after the tree collapsed, the city boarded them
up. "The ones we have right now that aren't usable we're blocking off until we
can come up with a program," Chambers said.

While some pathways are barricaded by signs restricting access, others have
been buried by overgrown ivy, fallen tree parts and unruly cobwebs. As the
condition has worsened, pedestrian traffic has become increasingly rare.
"These are important stairs to citizens and students who use them. We don't
have sidewalks, so it's difficult to get from one road to another," Spees
said.

Spees is concerned about the safety and well-being of pedestrians who may be
forced to take alternative routes. Pathways that are heavily wooded or dimly
lit may make it difficult for oncoming cars to see pedestrians.
Members of the community share similar concerns, along with the fear that
tree limbs and leaves that have buried the walkways may be a fire hazard.
"It looks like six inches of Eucalyptus camouflaging the walkways," Schlink
said.

There are, however, some who are not committing their best effort to saving
the stairs.
"In some cases, citizens want them closed," said Spees. "They're concerned
about crime and things that aren't visible." Nevertheless, Spees is adamant about
seeing progress soon.

"We're going to press along to get something done," he said. "I'm very eager
to see them be maintained."

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