Park District Moves Forward with Major Enhancements to Eastshore State Park

March 15, 2016 - The East Bay Regional Park District Board of Directors unanimously approved $2 million in contracts Tuesday to restore habitat, extend the San Francisco Bay Trail and clean up debris from two key sections of McLaughlin Eastshore State Park.

“This beautiful park is a tremendous asset not just for the East Bay, but the entire region,” said Board member Whitney Dotson, whose ward includes most of the 8.5-mile shoreline park. “We’re excited to be moving ahead with these long-awaited improvement plans.”

The board approved two contracts. The first contract is for $1.1 million to Questa Engineering of Richmond to design the last two phases of the Albany Beach restoration, including beach and dune enhancement, a non-motorized boat launch, restroom, parking and nearly a mile of the Bay Trail west of Golden Gate Fields.

The first phase of the project, which was recently completed, included clean-up and habitat restoration of Albany Beach and the Albany Neck. Bird roosting islands, tide pools, an oyster reef, shoreline stabilization and trail improvements were key parts of the project. More than 1,800 feet of eroding landfill was cleaned up and reconstructed.

The second contract is for $975,000 to O.C. Jones & Sons of Berkeley to remove debris, toxic soil and invasive plants, and re-grade the 53-foot-high dirt pile that’s been in the Brickyard Cove area for about a decade. The dirt pile is from excavation projects prior to the Park District taking over the property.

The dirt pile will be lowered about 15 feet and spread into smaller hills to create a buffer between Interstate 80 and open up views of San Francisco Bay. Crews will also spread native grass seeds throughout the site to enhance habitat for shorebirds and other wildlife.

The East Bay Regional Park District operates McLaughlin Eastshore State Park on behalf of the California Department of Parks and Recreation. The park, which extends from the Bay Bridge to Richmond, includes 1,854 acres of uplands and tidelands along the waterfronts of Oakland, Emeryville, Berkeley, Albany, and Richmond.

The East Bay Regional Park District is a system of beautiful public parks and trails in Alameda and Contra Costa counties east of San Francisco Bay, established in 1934. The system comprises 120,000 acres in 65 parks including over 1,250 miles of trails for hiking, biking, horseback riding and nature learning.