You wouldn’t categorize Clarence Mamuyac and William Blackwell as mortal combatants, not like Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier or Donald Trump and his hair stylist. But the two Piedmont architects do have a sharp disagreement.
Mamuyac and Blackwell take opposing positions on the proposed building of the 3.29-acre Blair Park sports field in Piedmont’s verdant Moraga Canyon — a $6.5 million project that would be funded by well-heeled Piedmont residents.
Mamuyac, 52, is pro-park. Blackwell, 81, is anti-park. But despite this difference of opinion, they get along. So they agreed to be interviewed together at ELS Architecture and Urban Design in Berkeley — even though ELS, Mamuyac’s company, is designing this project.
The Piedmont City Council voted 4-1 to allow the project to move forward. Sometime this summer, the council is expected to take a final vote on the Moraga Avenue site, which has divided the city’s residents.
It’s so divided that Blackwell and his wife, Marjorie, don’t even see eye-to-eye.
“She is a strong environmentalist,” he said. “She would prefer to have no development or to have it improved as a public park.”
Blackwell considers himself more “middle ground.” He views the project as a “forced fit — trying to cram too much into too short a space, like buying a pair of shoes one size too small because they look good.”
He conceded that Mamuyac’s concept is “well thought out, a very bold plan.” But Blackwell prefers one “medium-size” sports field rather than the two plateaued fields that Mamuyac initially proposed on this inclined plot of land.
“It’s a gloomy, dark site,” added Blackwell.
Nonetheless, Piedmont’s only available space for building a new sports field exists there in Moraga Canyon. With Piedmont High School’s athletic fields not always available, Piedmont children need a place to play within city limits besides the steadily booked Coaches Field, located across the road from Blair Park.
“I’m sympathetic to sports,” said Blackwell, “but to build a substandard field that benefits maybe 75 kids does not resolve the problem. This is the dilemma.”
Only it’s not just about games, Mamuyac pointed out, but practice time. Piedmont kids practice at 6 a.m. because that’s the only time some fields are available.
“While one field doesn’t answer all of the problems,” Mamuyac said of Blair Park, “it makes a significant contribution to a solution. There’s been a chipping-away of available field space the last 10 years.”
That’s because Piedmont kids have lost access to fields in Oakland, Alameda and Orinda. So Blair Park becomes essential, regardless of its size.
“In terms of (Blair Park’s) fit, Bill is entitled to his opinion,” Mamuyac said of Blackwell. “I disagree. I think a lot of people disagree. It looks like it fits well, and we need to fit kids from the age of 12 all the way up to high school.”
Déjà vu? The building of Coaches Field 20 years ago also was met with rancor that has since died away. Perhaps the same reaction would result if Blair Park was built to satisfy four sports — youth baseball, softball, soccer and lacrosse.
Mamuyac’s video of the park’s final design should be seen by proponents and opponents. If it turned out as well as it looks on screen, it would be impressive.
Mamuyac compromised on two of his original designs. A second sports field would now be a grassy, picnic-like area known as The Glade. A planned pedestrian bridge linking Blair Park to Coaches Field is now a crosswalk. But parking would grow from 40 spaces to 60.
“There’s another point I’d like to make,” Blackwell said. “The kids in Piedmont are deprived of very few things. They have no idea how lucky they are to live in Piedmont. I’ve never played a day of soccer in my life, and I haven’t felt deprived.”
Oooh, boy.
Your call, Piedmont.
Dave Newhouse’s columns appear Monday, Thursday and Sunday, usually on the Local page. Know any Good Neighbors? Phone 510-208-6466 or email dnewhouse@bayareanewsgroup.com.
