Business View Magazine - July 2016 65
gardens and it’s been very successful.”
Another ongoing project is the transformation of the
Union City Community Center into a Teen Center. “The
first phase of that will provide a small café and some
modifications to the side of the building,” Ruark says.
“It will include seven works of art that are currently
being designed. The teens will have a heavy input into
it, working with a local artist. There will be four murals
– two exterior and two interior – and some text-based
art in the entry and in the lounge. It’s approximately
a $4 million expansion under Phase One.” Additional
funding is being sought to double the size of the build-
ing and incorporate such sustainability features as a
“green roof.”
Burch adds that the teens will be working with the illu-
minaries, famous for the many Golden State Warriors
murals that they have designed and placed around the
East Bay. “They’re very popular out here,” she says.
“They’re going to be working with the teens, teach
them how they make their art, and offering internships
that will give them job skills. So it’s going to be very in-
teractive. The end product is going to be awesome and
the process is going to be a great learning experience
for the kids.”
“Fortunately, the city has a public arts fund and has
set aside $250,000 for the illuminaries to bring this
art to the Teen Center,” says Ruark. “And there is a
fund that came from Measure WW.” (Measure WW
was approved by voters in Alameda and Contra Costa
counties in November 2008. It made funding available
directly to cities and special park districts for high pri-
ority community park projects.) “And this qualified for
that,” he continues. “So there’s a $2 million grant that
is providing some of the funds, and then the City Coun-
cil authorized another million dollars from some other
sources.”
As all of these major projects reach completion, they
will merely add to the already high-quality of life en-
joyed by the residents of Union City. And with its strong
economy, diverse population, excellent schools, and
world-renowned location, it’s the ideal place to do
business, to work, and to live. Or as Finney Burch says,
correcting her previous comment: “I mean it’s the best
town in the East Bay.”
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