The tragic discovery of human skeletal remains in an abandoned building at Alameda Point should instill a new sense of urgency in the effort to approve a comprehensive redevelopment plan for the former Navy base.
The Oakland Tribune reports that on Monday a homeless person was “rummaging through an abandoned residential building on the former naval base (and) came across the remains…”
After the fire at the old abandoned hospital at Alameda Landing we were grateful that nobody was hurt and hoped that the incident would lead people to realize how dangerous the situation has become at nearby Alameda Point. Abandoned buildings, empty roads, crumbling docks and vast stretches of cracked and worn-out asphalt dominate the landscape at Alameda Point.
We, the taxpayers of Alameda, continue to be financially liable for the old base, which every year costs more and more to maintain as it falls further into disrepair. Yes, there are some commercial and residential leases out there, but no, they don’t cover the costs associated with up-keep.
For 17 years the old base has sat and decayed further into blight with each passing day. For many of those years we have talked and planned and started and stopped and finally came up with a good plan, thanks to the efforts of hundreds of regular Alamedans, the city staff, elected leaders and SunCal Companies.
These terrible incidents remind us that if we fail to approve the Alameda Point Revitalization Initiative when it goes before voters next year, we risk having to deal with serious health and safety problems for decades to come.
