Summer 2025 – Changes in Civic Center Park

A CalTrans grant (that had been expected to go toward a Turtle Island Monument) and Measure T1 funds enabled a number of projects in MLK Civic Center Park during 2025. As described on a City website,

“The Civic Center Upper Plaza Improvements Project in downtown Berkeley renovated the eastern area of Civic Center Park around the decommissioned fountain.  Improvements included enhancements for safety, aesthetics, comfort, functionality, and usability.

The project was completed in August 2025. Improvements included:

• Replacement of the deteriorated and uneven flagstone terrace
• Restoration of the Peace Wall tiles and artwork
• Installation of new benches, updated signage, and trash receptacles
• Upgrades to ADA access throughout the plaza
• New irrigation system to support landscaping enhancements with new native and pollinator-friendly plantings
• Installation of utility infrastructure to support future developments”

The Turtle Island Monument project became mired in a breakdown of negotiations between the Civic Arts department and the two Indigenous artists originally commissioned to design the project, Lee Sprague and Marlene Watson. (See Berkeleyside article, 7/25/25.)