Alameda Leaders Back Veterans Clinic, Columbarium at Alameda Point

Critics worry about endangered bird colony at site
By Peter Hegarty, The Oakland Tribune

City leaders are backing the construction of a health clinic and columbarium for veterans at Alameda Point, despite critics saying the project may be located too close to a colony of endangered California Least Terns.

The outpatient clinic would offer health care to approximately 7,000 local veterans, while the columbarium would provide space for the remains of 310,000 Bay Area veterans.

The U.S. Navy will transfer 549 acres at the former Alameda Naval Air Station to the Department of Veterans Affairs for the project, which could be completed by December 2014.

“It’s not a large medical center,” said Larry James, a department spokesman. “At the same time, it’s not a ‘doc-in-the-box.’ ”

The columbarium would be built near a runway at the former Navy base and feature a memorial walk that offers a sweeping view of the San Francisco skyline.

A “spectacular opportunity” for the Department of Veterans Affairs, James called it.

The City Council — meeting as the Alameda Reuse and Redevelopment Authority — unanimously backed a resolution Wednesday supporting the project.

While councilmembers said they were concerned the clinic and columbarium could encroach on the bird colony, they also noted the land transfer between the Navy and the administration is already in the works.

The two-story clinic will measure 158,000 square feet on 30 acres and the columbarium will take up 70 acres. The rest of the site will remain as open space, offering a buffer for the Least Terns, which nest at Alameda Point about four months each year as they migrate along the West Coast.

The bird was declared an endangered species in 1974, when just about 600 pairs were believed to exist. The numbers have gradually increased since then.

The colony at the former Navy base is among the most important in the state, said Mike Lynes, conservation director of the Golden Gate Audubon Society.

“Putting the veterans out on the refuge is a very bad idea,” said Lynes, who urged the council to hold off on making a decision about the project.
Critics also said visitors to the clinic and columbarium would increase traffic in the city’s West End, especially since public transportation to the former base is limited.

They also said city leaders should have more information about what the Department of Veterans Affairs is planning before backing the project.
“I am really torn by this whole thing,” said Navy veteran Jim Sweeney, who called for the clinic and columbarium to be moved farther from the bird colony. “We should look at this really carefully from a quality of life standpoint.”

But Deputy City Manager Jennifer Ott said the project would create jobs in the city and offer a “one-stop-shop” for veterans who need services.
The location was also fitting because it was once part of the Alameda Naval Air Station and helps recognize the city’s links with the military, Ott said.

The federal government has earmarked about $17 million to begin the project, including for infrastructure at the former base. Total cost is expected to run about $200 million, James said.
The Navy will be responsible for environmental cleanup at the site.

The construction of the columbarium could begin in August 2012, while the work on the clinic could begin in December 2012, James said.
“That is probably ‘a best case’ schedule,” he said.

When the project is completed, the two outpatient clinics that currently serve veterans in Oakland will close.

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