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Politics & Government

UPDATE: Commission Asks for Further Review on Historic Hap Magee Park Barns

The final decision on whether to save both barns, or tear down one that is in especially bad shape, won't affect planting of a community garden at the 16-acre park.

Members of the town's Heritage Resource Commission voted Monday to take one more look at whether it's worth trying to save both historic barns on the Hap Magee Ranch property.

At a special meeting, the commission discussed whether to accept a town planning staff proposal to restore one of the barns but tear down the other, which is in especially bad shape, as the park prepares to make room for a community garden.

At issue have been two barns on the 16.3 acre park jointly owned and operated by the Town of Danville and Contra Costa County.

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The park contains buildings that date back to when the property served as a summer camp in the late 1800s for orphans from San Francisco. The park takes its name from Hap Magee, a cattle rancher who bought the orphanage property and turned it into a working ranch in the 1950s.

The barns are located on the west side of the park, behind and west of the historic Swain House. A historic architect has determined the barns have "historical signicance due to the historic farmng use of the ranch," according to a town staff report.

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On the other hand, a structural engineer found that both barns are in "a substantially deteroriated state" due to fungal decay and water and termite damage. Both are unsafe to enter.

The town would like to tear down the barn closest to the creek trail. According to the staff report, this barn was in such bad shape that restoring it would require demolishing much of the barn anyway -- a project that would be costly and destroy much of the building's historical significance.

A Berkeley structural engineering firm found the second barn -- to be used to store equipment used to operate and maintain the community garden -- could be more easily rehabilitated. Installing a new metal roof, replacing wall boards and applying new exterior paint would cost around $22,000, the staff report says.

David Crompton, a principal planner with the town, said commission members will go out to the park and check out the first barn. They may decide to call in a historian or architect to again study whether there is a way to save enough of the barn to retain its historical value.

Meanwhile, the commission voted to go ahead with plans to restore the second barn. The Bounty Garden, a nonprofit organization that would run the community garden, would cover the cost of restoring the barn.

A committee that worked on deciding future uses for Hap Magee Park decided that creating a community garden was a high priority. The committee, which included representatives from Danville's Parks and Leisure Services Commission and the Alamo Municipal Advisory Commission, thought that a community garden would provide opportunities for community education, volunteer education and yield produce that could be donated to local food banks.

Crompton said the decision on whether to save or tear down the first barn won't affect starting the garden, which will consist of up to 50 raised beds.

"They are ready to go forward in either case," he said.

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