Berkeley bids adieu to the controversial Big People statues
The statues stood on the pedestrian bridge over I-80 for 12 years. It will take 3 days to remove them.
The statues stood on the pedestrian bridge over I-80 for 12 years. It will take 3 days to remove them.
The ‘”love-em” or “hate-em” art pieces will be gone by Tuesday.
Two developers, working in conjunction with the Jones family who own the land, want to build two Class A R&D buildings.
Part of Adeline Street has been completely repaved and improvements are planned on University Avenue at the marina. Live Oak Park’s community center is being rebuilt. It’s all part of T1 bond measure work underway now.
The artist, Scott Donahue, has asked for a halt so he can search for a third-party buyer. He still believes Berkeley mishandled the process.
Bacteria levels in the water at Aquatic Park have been within normal limits for the past two weeks, prompting city staff to tell the community Friday evening that it’s all right to go back in the water.Â
The city is stepping up efforts to determine why dangerous bacteria that may cause illness have been proliferating in Aquatic Park since early August, making the park off-limits for recreation in recent weeks.
The water in West Berkeley’s Aquatic Park is currently unsafe for any human contact, the city said Friday evening, following substantial increases in bacteria there, lab tests show.
Warning notices around West Berkeley’s Aquatic Park lagoon will remain in place through the weekend, the city told Berkeleyside late Friday afternoon.
A huge increase in E. coli bacteria at the north end of Aquatic Park has caused the city to urge community members to minimize activities that require contact with the water. Warning signs are being posted.
There are more pressing issues in our community, but something about the decision to remove the city’s most expensive piece of public art got Berkeleyside readers riled up.
While the artistic merit of Scott Donahue’s Berkeley Big People artworks remains a point of debate, the commission says its decision to “deaccession” was based on the cost of maintaining the work.
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