As you walk or hike along Berkeley’s paths, consider the terrain: if you’re using concrete steps or walkways, they were probably part of the path’s original construction. If you see wooden steps, however, it’s likely that the pathway has been built by BPWA’s devoted path-building crew, which has worked for more than 20 years to bring Berkeley’s paths to a high level of safety.
Two mornings a week, BPWA’s Path Building Liaison Bob Gomez leads a team of volunteers in repairing the existing paths and building new ones. He’s served in this role, and as a member of the BPWA board, since 2021. In his previous career as a Caltrans engineer, Gomez developed experience in teamwork and problem-solving.
Gomez’s dedication stems not only from his engineering experience but from his love of the area. “The paths are a remarkable feature of this city, affording users many opportunities to enjoy healthy exercise in a beautiful outdoor setting,” he says.
The most challenging aspect of the work, he says, is keeping up with all the repair needs of Berkeley’s many wooden-step paths. The most rewarding is getting to work with highly skilled and motivated volunteers.
David Kittams, who previously served as a Berkeley pediatrician for 40 years, joined the team about five years ago. He began by attending BPWA’s monthly work parties, cleaning paths of foliage and debris, before meeting the crew’s then-leader, Steve Glaeser, and Gomez. Once he joined the path-building crew, his first project was Lower Halkin Walk. “This was actually a new path, a ‘first build-out,’” he remembers. “On its upper end it required some curves around tough volunteer trees that didn’t want to be trimmed, much less removed.”
In contrast to the clean-up work, which entails year-round maintenance, Kittams enjoys the permanence of path-building—15 to 20 years for the eucalyptus steps and even longer for the rebar that secures them. He also loves the time spent outdoors; using hand tools; learning about the varied terrain, vegetation, and soil; and meeting grateful path users and neighboring homeowners.
“Our crew is made up of some original people who work well together; we’ve all had interesting careers, and we love to hone our irony-based humor on each other,” he says. “The surroundings are beautiful, and occasionally we see the weather change or a different view of homes and more distant scenery. My favorite paths—El Mirador, Covert, and Town and Country Trail—lead around a corner and up into another world.”
David Gyorke, a retired medical device engineering executive, has served on the team for about two years. Because he’d been a long-time user of the paths on weekends, it felt like a natural fit to help rebuild them as a volunteer in his retirement.
“The paths are an essential community asset for emergency evacuation, transit access, and convenience,” he says. “They also provide a novel cardiovascular option and great views!”
“Technically, we’re working to limit erosion but mostly to keep open the downward escape routes should fire revisit the hills,” Kittams says. “Handrails cost dearly, but are good escape insurance for those who can walk. Perhaps in the future, stretches of trail, like my own residential street, will serve microneighborhoods whose residents can create evacuation plans for not-so-ambulatory residents as well.”
In the coming year, Gomez and his team will be working with City Engineer Terrence Salonga to develop much-needed improvements to Keeler Path and Upper El Mirador Path, as well as replacing steps and improving drainage on several other existing paths. They’re also hoping to create a new path next to Shasta Avenue between Grizzly Peak Boulevard and Park Hills Road.
The next time you enjoy one of Berkeley’s paths, thank a path-builder!
If you love to work with your hands, spend time outdoors, and collaborate with an awesome crew of fascinating people, email us at path.building@berkeleypaths.org.The team currently meets twice weekly on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 to 11 a.m., but some weekends may be scheduled for those who work midweek. We’ll give you all the training you need.