Board of Trustees seek proposal to rename Balboa Park Station
By Andy Damián-Correa
Members from the City College Board of Trustees are working on a proposal for the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) that requests a name change of Balboa Park Station to “Balboa Park – City College.”
The resolution, spearheaded by board president Alex Randolph and trustees John Rizzo and Thea Selby, will be presented at the next board meeting on Feb. 28.
“The San Francisco Community College District endeavor is to encourage people to use public transportation to and from the college,” Trustee Rizzo said in a statement via email.
Balboa Park represents both a San Francisco neighborhood and a public park between Mission Street and I-280, north of Geneva Avenue. Prior to submitting the request, the District required public input to garner feedback about the proposal.
BART staff members, who work closely with local community groups and officials throughout Bay Area counties, can make recommendations of station names to BART’s Board of Directors.
According to a 1965 policy, 10 key factors should be considered when renaming a station, including brevity, distinctiveness, historical basis, geographical significance and overall helpfulness, Government and Community Relations Manager, Kerry Hamill said.
For the 2019 fiscal year, the District estimates the cost to rename one station to be approximately $479,000, BART’s Interim District Secretary Patricia Williams said.
BART has 45 stations that reside in four counties—Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco and San Mateo. The primary purpose of naming a station lies in the overall helpfulness to BART commuters as they navigate the transit system.
Cities that use nearby colleges to name railway stations include Los Angeles (Valley College station), New York (137th Street – City College station), Maryland (68th Street – Hunter College station), and others.
HOORAY… promoting education with climate friendly activity, using BART, by reducing fossil fuel use and traffic congestion eliminating vehicles on highways and byways. People will come to associate BART with a quality community college and education for all!