Berkeley council directs staff to fully fund African American Holistic Resource Center, preserves Turtle Island Monument funding

BERKELEY — The Berkeley City Council on the special 4 p.m. session unanimously directed the city manager to fully fund replacement of the African American Holistic Resource Center and to preserve Measure T1 funding for the Turtle Island Monument, while asking staff and the Budget & Finance Committee to present options to close an estimated $3.2 million to $4.5 million funding gap.

Staff from Parks, Recreation & Waterfront and Public Works told the council that rising construction costs and project-specific issues have created shortfalls across phase 2 of Measure T1. "We've had a construction cost escalation in the previous two years of about 26 percent," Scott Barris, Director of Parks, Recreation and Waterfront, told the council during the presentation. He said 27 of 36 phase-2 projects remain incomplete and nine projects cannot be reduced further and need added funding, including a set of public restrooms, the Turtle Island Monument, D & E dock replacement at the marina, 1947 Center Street improvements, and corporation yard projects.

Staff identified separate gaps: just…