FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Peter Birkholz, Chairperson, JLNA Public Amenities Committee, 415.391.7918 Erin Wells, Director of Communications, California Architectural Foundation, (916) 448-9082 JACK LONDON NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION WINS AWARD FOR TRASH CAN PROJECT Each year six million people visit Jack London Square, according to the Port of Oakland. To Jack London Square merchants, these visitors are potential customers. To Jack London Square residents who pick up more than 10 tons of litter a year, these visitors are potential litterbugs. A three-year old grassroots organization may have found a way to please both merchants and residents. On November 8, 2001 at Yosemite National Park, the California Architectural Foundation will award Jack London Neighborhood Association (JLNA) a $1500 William Turnbull Jr. FAIA Environmental Education Grant to commission, fabricate, and install 20 sidewalk trash receptacles (with environmental graphics) throughout the Oakland Waterfront Warehouse District, a nine-block area roughly between Third and Fifth Streets and Jackson and Webster Streets. Conceived by JLNA president Wilda White and designed by JLNA member and architect Peter Birkholz, the sidewalk trash receptacles will also serve as markers for a self-guided walking tour of the 16-acre District. JLNA succeeded in getting the District listed on the National Register of Historic Places in April 2000. This brings to $32,500 the amount JLNA has raised toward the $40,000 project. Other donors include Council member Nancy Nadel (District 3) and Council member Henry Chang, Jr. (At-large) JLNA's executive committee and historic preservation committee have been working on the project for a year. Participants include Peter Birkholz; John Dalal; Marianne Dreisbach; Gary Knecht; Jane Lawhon; Robbie Rendahl; and Wilda White. The project is underway. JLNA expects to complete the project by early 2002. The trash receptacles have been fabricated and the environmental graphics have been designed. JLNA has contracted with WinsorFireForm, LLC to produce the porcelain enamel environmental graphics. Porcelain enamel is the same material used in the award-winning San Francisco Embarcadero Promenade project. JLNA volunteers will assemble and install the sidewalk trash receptacles. JLNA will also hold a dedication ceremony early next year when the sidewalk trash receptacles are in place. The William Turnbull Jr. FAIA grant program was created to foster public education and public awareness programs related to the built and natural environment. The grant is dedicated to the memory of William Turnbull, Jr. FAIA, the noted northern California architect. The Board of Regents administers the grant program in accordance with the California Architectural Foundation's goals. The grant amounts vary between $500 and $2000. Founded on July 15, 1998 in a neighborhood live-work loft, Jack London Neighborhood Association is a grassroots organization comprised of businesses, live-work owners, residential tenants, and waterfront friends committed to preserving and enhancing the economic, architectural, cultural, natural, and historic heritage of Oakland's estuary and environs. Led by attorney and Harvard MBA Wilda White, JLNA's vision is to turn the Jack London District - the area below the 880 Freeway between Adeline and Oak Streets - into a thriving economic, social, and cultural center. -oOo-   Designer Peter Birkholz's Description of Sidewalk Trash Receptacle Like the buildings in the Oakland Waterfront Warehouse District, the sidewalk trash receptacle is rugged, utilitarian and industrial. Mirroring the District's buildings, the receptacle has a simple boxy massing. The sloped top, which functions to keep water out of the receptacle, is reminiscent of the awnings found in the District. A simple palette of three materials - natural colored concrete, painted steel, and perforated aluminum - was chosen to harmonize with the simple variety of materials found in the District. Each of these materials is used in the purest expression and simplest manner. The photographs included here depict the prototype. The design of the receptacle was process oriented. The concrete forming the base is cast as a simple square; it forms a stabilizing mass to give weight to the receptacle. The painted steel structure is formed of single piece of 3/8" plate steel that is folded on an industrial press, plasma cut to form the opening to deposit the trash, and powder coat painted to protect it from the elements. Perforated aluminum, a lightweight, easy to form material, is used as the side panels that screen the ordinary trash can inside the receptacle. All of these materials are joined and formed in very simple, processes with no added ornamentation. The size of the receptacle is a result of several factors. For economy, the metal portion is designed for the best utilization of a standard 4' x 8' sheet of steel plate - two receptacles can be gotten from one sheet with very little waste. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 requires that 34 inches be used as the height of an opening for a wheelchair user. Lastly, the size is purposely diminutive to be a pedestrian-scaled piece of street furniture. One side of the trash receptacle will identify the district by the words "OAKLAND WATERFRONT WAREHOUSE DISTRICT." The sloped top will carry an historic photo of an adjacent building or street scene and an explanation of the historic significance of the building or street scene. The signage of porcelain enamel will be colorful, functional, and of course, simple and utilitarian. Ordinary street grime will be able to be removed by Public Works staff with pressure washers and/or steam cleaning devices. Any graffiti will be removable with an industrial solvent (as is typically used to remove such from buildings). Scratches to the perforated aluminum panels can be touched up with sandpaper or a scotch-brite™ pad. The painted steel finish will be durable enough to withstand scratching; however it can also be touched up with matching paint. -oOo-