Plans for Delta Science Center are still on trackPlans for Delta Science Center are still on trackMarch 5, 2004
Some people might be thinking that the plans for the Delta Science Center are on the way to the trash can, since it seems that the Center is at a standstill, but according to Dr. Mike Painter, the behind-the-scenes work is strumming along.
Over the past few months the Science Center group has been working to get ready for building. A few months back, Painter was installed as the Delta Science Center Committee chair. Along with the help of Nancy Kaiser from the city of Oakley, Nancy Chin from Los Medanos College and a few others, Painter's group has begun hosting more meetings.
"When the concept of a Delta Science Center was first conceived, there was great enthusiasm," Chin said. "People were looking forward to going to the Center to study the wildlife, the river resources, and the history of the Delta. And now, 10 years later, it is coming to pass."
The most recent work includes the East Bay Regional Park District and Los Medanos College have forming a partnership to design, construct and operate the first phase of the Center on the former Lauritzen property near Big Break Marina, which was acquired by the Park District in 2000. The Science Center board has been collaborating with the Park District and the college in the development of the first phase of the center.
Although some of the members of the Science Center board may have changed in the past decade, the board is still represented by some of the groups the have come together to get the project off the ground and eventually built. They include the Ironhouse Sanitary District, Painter, the park district, the college, the cities of Oakley, Brentwood, Antioch and Pittsburg, Contra Costa County, Contra Costa Mosquito and Vector Control District, the Delta Group of the Sierra Club, Mt. Diablo Audubon Society and others.
For those who are wondering what has taken so long, the answer is simple: It takes time to put together a project this large. "To some, when considering the scope and size of this project, 10 years is not that long. To others, who want to visit and use the center, it has been a long time," Chin said.
The park district has been working very hard with the science center's board and Steve Barbata, the director of the project, to obtain grants form partnerships, acquire community input and plan the building of the center.
"All this takes time. But now all their work is going to pay off with the start of construction of a beautiful education and research center," Chin said.
The first phase of the science center facility focuses on providing hands-on education, opportunities for restoration and access to the Delta. The campus-style site plan for the center includes an observation deck, fishing pier and a science building that will house exhibits, labs and workrooms for school and community groups. The building is designed to meet initial needs, build synergy and slowly grow as needed from an initial size of approximately 6,000 square feet. The facility will be built on the shoreline and allow easy access for water collection and monitoring activities.
"Parking, trails, observation and gathering areas will also be built to provide access, while maintaining the views, security and solitude of adjacent neighborhoods," Chin said.
What started as a dream for Oakley residents including Dwight Meadows and Lenny Byer from the Ironhouse Sanitary District board is seemingly starting to take shape. If you are looking for a way to get involved in this project, contact Chin through her e-mail at nchinn@losmedanos.edu.
Roni Gehlke's column on life in Oakley appears each week in the Brentwood News.
Distributed by the Contra Costa Times