Title
Review and Recommend a Memorial Gathering Space at Krusi Park
Body
To: Honorable Chair and Members of the Recreation and Park Commission
From: Amy Wooldridge, Recreation and Parks Director
Re: Review and Recommend a Memorial Gathering Space at Krusi Park
BACKGROUND
Staff has been working with Alameda resident Cindy Miner-Kapelke over the last two months on a plan and design for a memorial gathering space that is inspired by a mother and daughter, Rachel Shahinian and Annika Zinsley, who were lost to a tragic car collision last August. They were both performers (dancers and singers), as well as nature-lovers who enjoyed gathering outdoors with friends and family in Alameda, at Otis and Krusi Park, and in many of California's natural sites and beyond.
Groundworks, a landscape architect firm, generously provided pro bono design services for this project, which included numerous redesigns based on staff input. This proposed design evokes outdoor gathering spaces and public areas that offer a place to be together, share a song, a skit, a snack, and time together. This space would be dedicated to Rachel and Annika and incorporate tasteful and artistic elements to commemorate them.
DISCUSSION
This gathering space is located adjacent to the Krusi Park playground in a currently underutilized area. Tucked under an existing tree near the playground, this gathering space would feature a low, two-tiered wood stage, unique to Alameda parks. The lower, ground level portion of the stage provides access to youth and families of all physical abilities.
Natural rock or wood seating faces the stage on a decomposed granite base. The stage could accommodate small impromptu or planned performances from the Otis Elementary School students, Krusi Park after school and summer participants, or simply people enjoying the park. It could also serve as a platform for picnics and playground watching.
The permanent installation would feature natur...
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