This four-lane drawbridge spans 372 feet of the Oakland Estuary and connects Oakland to Alameda. It accommodates approximately 40,000 vehicles each work day. The bridge was constructed under the Federal WPA Program in the 1930s. The opening celebration included the public wedding of a man from Oakland and woman from Alameda to symbolize the unity of the two cities. The bridge's pedestrian walkways were renovated in 1998.
This station, established in 1991, serves Bay Farm Island and also works with the Oakland Fire Department to respond to aircraft emergencies and fires at the Oakland airport. In return, the Oakland Fire Department provides an engine company for structure fires on Bay Farm Island.
This private company specializes in correctional healthcare. The company employs almost 4,000 healthcare professionals to administer medical services to people incarcerated in correctional facilities. The office is located on the Ballena Isle Marina peninsula at the southern end of the island.
The goal of this government agency is implementing disease prevention programs and safety measures to prevent human illness and injury. Projects include pest control services and the elimination of other potentially harmful environmental conditions. The office is located in the Harbor Bay Business Complex along the southern edge of Bay Farm Island.
This bridge connects the main island of Alameda to the Bay Farm section of the city. At almost 1000 feet in length, it is the longest draw bridge in the County. The Bay Farm Island Bicycle Bridge runs parallel the main bride. It is the only bicycle drawbridge in the country. No powered vehicles except wheelchairs are allowed on the bridge, which was built in the early 1990s largely with federal funds.
Founded in 1887, Alameda Municipal Power has provided electricity to Alameda residents and businesses for more than 120 years. It provides power to more than 34,000 Alameda homes and businesses, and roughly 80 percent of the utility's power is generated from renewable resources, including geothermal, hydroelectric, landfill gas, wind and solar. The William M. McCall Senior Service Center on the corner of Grand Avenue and Clement Street houses the utility's administrative offices and a walk-in service center where customers can pay their bills, learn about services and dispose of used fluorescent light bulbs.
The Alameda Fire Department, under Chief David Kapler, offers fire protection, emergency and disaster response, as well as paramedic services and community education. The department's four open stations can provide emergency response anywhere in the city within approximately three to four minutes.
The department responded to 6,573 calls in 2006, or about 18 calls per day. The 92-member department boasts four advanced life support engine companies, two ladder truck companies, three ambulances, one fireboat and one water rescue boat.
It also offers a variety of safety courses, including an emergency preparedness course, which teaches participants fire suppression and disaster search and rescue techniques, and a fall-prevention program for seniors.
The Alameda Police Headquarters building, located in downtown Alameda on the corner of Oak Street and Lincoln Avenue across from the Alameda Free Library, was dedicated in 1978. With 92 officers, down from a high of 112 before the closing of the Naval Weapons Station, the department provides comprehensive police services for island residents. The department also runs the city's animal control services, including the management of the Alameda Animal Shelter at 1590 Fortham Way. Individual and neighborhood crime reports, collision reports and other records requests can be made Monday through Thursday from 10am - 4pm at the Records Desk in the Police Department lobby. City of Alameda parking citations are paid at Alameda City Hall. Restraining orders are served by the Alameda County Sheriff's Department. For current Alameda crime data, the department offers a Crime Mapping service.
Two blocks from the Park Street business district on the corner of Walnut and Central Avenues, the Veterans Memorial Building was designed by local architect Henry H. Meyers and completed in 1929. The Spanish Colonial Revival building currently houses the offices of several local veterans' organizations, including American Legion, Disabled American Veterans and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. It also hosts the Alameda Recreation and Parks Department's Underground Teen Center, the Alameda Reads literacy program and Alameda Wee Play, a drop-in recreation group for babies, toddlers and their parents. The main hall and teen center are available for rental through the Recreation and Parks Department.
Mastick Senior Center is a large, organized, and attractive facility with plenty of services and activities from a game room, to a social hall, to a beautiful garden area, and even a computer room. The staff are helpful, patient, flexible, and communicate well with both patrons and people checking out the space. The number of services offered by the organization is staggering, with almost 20 pages of information with events, services, and other highlights in a monthly newsletter called The Mastick Bee, which is available upon request.
This is the oldest staffed fire station in the city. As part of the Alameda Fire Department, it opened in 1927. The facility houses an engine, a truck and an ambulance. It serves the west end of the island including Ballena Bay, Robert Crown Memorial State Beach and the Barnhill and Pacific Marinas.