Newark’s Measure GG Disconnects Library From Park

Newark's Measure GG proposes a 0.5% sales tax increase to finance a new civic center that will relocate Newark’s library to Newark Boulevard, no longer adjacent to, but rather down and across the street
from Civic Center Park.

Civic Center Park includes a playground, picnic spaces, a walking path, open space, and play fields, and is
adjacent to several neighborhoods. Having this park adjacent to the library, with no streets to cross, is something special that we have in Newark. This proximity creates a safe and dynamic relationship
between these public spaces, encouraging recreation, learning, and community.

Union City does not have this proximity, and the difference is obvious. At Union City, the distance between the library and playground undermines the relationship between the library and park. Newark’s proposal moves the library even farther.

As a counter-example, Union City integrates its Alvarado Park and farmer’s market venue to create a fantastic family dynamic. Public spaces that are well-integrated serve the public in ways that disconnected spaces do not.

Our Civic Center Park does not have a dedicated bathroom. The library’s bathroom functions as the park’s bathroom. The relocation moves the bathroom very far from the park, making the park less usable for everyone. The city’s plan does not include adding a bathroom facility or assuring that the existing library building bathroom remain open.

Moving the library away from the playground and park is a move in the wrong direction for Newark. Newark Parks Foundation does not oppose a new civic center or a tax measure to fund one. There is a need for additional space and facility upgrades. There is no reason a new civic center cannot maintain the library’s location, whether by addition to or demolition and replacement of the current building. There’s plenty of unused space in and around the library’s location. The city compared the cost of an addition to the cost of a new building and the difference was negligible.

Options exist to temporarily host the library at another location: the Community Center, one of the existing or new civic center buildings, or commercial space, and the consultant included these budget costs. Although
this solution is a temporary inconvenience, it is certainly better than spending the next 50 years with the library in the wrong location.

Newark Parks Foundation's mission is recreation and community, and so our focus is on evaluating these benefits in the context of this measure. Therefore, after much consideration, Newark Parks Foundation urges residents to Vote NO on Measure GG. However, there are other benefits to this measure, and we encourage the public to consider them.

Stephen Lawrence, Board of Director/Treasurer
Newark Parks Foundation
www.newarkparks.org