Historic Mare Island parks assessed for future treatment

The latest reports commissioned for 10 historic Mare Island properties focused heavily on the future of trees on two sites.

The city Architectural Heritage and Landmarks Commission zeroed in Monday night on cultural landscape evaluation reports by landscape architect Denise Bradley on Alden Park and Farragut Plaza Monday night. Developer Lennar Mare Island hired Bradley to assess several landscapes considered "contributing resources" by the National Register of Historic Places, before any future work is done.

Farragut Plaza is a grassy area surrounding the former Mare Island Naval Shipyard's Administrative Headquarters Building (Building 47) and sits adjacent to Alden Park between Railroad and Walnut avenues.

Bradley said there are no plans to develop Farragut Plaza. The cultural landscape report recommends replacing the plaza's existing trees, except the historic Bunya trees.

Commissioner Pearl Jones Tranter and resident Sarah Nichols suggested recreating a former trellis with wisteria.

Some Alden Park report recommendations called for the removal of trees that could be hazardous to the Chapel. Trees removed in recent years were taken out for that very reason, Bradley said. Recommendations included replanting trees -- possibly not eucalyptus -- along the property's outer edge.

Nichols advocated for the replanting of eucalyptus trees.

"(In the 19th and 20th centuries,) eucalyptus trees were considered this miracle plant for windbreak.

"So, if you were to do a very aggressive removal of those trees, you would have a very detrimental downside in terms of the climate and wind coming into the officers' mansions areas," Nichols said.

Contact staff writer Jessica A. York at (707) 553-6834 or jyork@timesheraldonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @JYVallejo.

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Historic Mare Island parks assessed for future treatment