John Gaccione

Date: 01/18/2021

Subject: People’s Public Safety Building

From: Executive Steering Committee

Headquarters has been concerned with the continuing deconstruction of public input opportunities in our hillside village. A current example of this alarming trend is the lack of the people’s input for the Public Safety Building remodel project. Holy smoke!

For the faithful it is all so clear, the Kensington Fire Department and the Kensington Police Department must be housed in the people’s Public Safety Building. Do you copy?

The Fire District and the KPPCSD need to heed the people’s input. Recently, two past KPPCSD Directors from decades ago shared their input at both district meetings. While their views are not universally held, it didn’t prevent them from claiming to represent and speak for all of Kensington. 

It doesn’t matter if the building footprint can’t grow, the remodel doesn’t include space for future equipment, or that it sits on an earthquake fault. What matters is that both departments will be in the people’s Public Safety Building. Best guess cost estimate 4 to 7 million US.

Tune out any loose talk about separating the departments, the KFD in the remodeled PSB and the KPD in some other location. But why locate the KPD further away from the majority of homes in Kensington? Any card carrying Kensingtonian knows the vast majority of homes are located in “upper” Kensington. But who’s counting?

Ignore all the senseless chatter about relocating the KPD to the Colusa Circle area. Why? Because it would be near the border with the dreaded El Cerrito. For heaven sake, we already subsidize their fire and emergency medical services. For some folks being a good neighbor seems to end at our sovereign border. And besides isn’t the circle “lower” Kensington?

Keeping both departments in the remodeled people’s Public Safety Building on Arlington Avenue is the best result. Granted, the remodel might be poorly planned, short sighted, expensive and taking too long. But once we hit that optimal point our financial people are forecasting; we will be on easy street. You betcha!

“The shepherd always tries to persuade the sheep that their interests and his own are the same.” (Stendhal)

Caution: Contents may not yield the best result, consult your economist for guidance.