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History of WBNDC

Past, Present and Future of WBNDC

by Margaret Breland, 1995

The West Berkeley Neighborhood Development Corporation (WBNDC) thanks each and every one who has given time, effort and money to help us over the years. We especially thank you for caring. Without your help, we could not have made it.

WBNDC began in 1989 with a meeting organized by Rev. Marvis V. Peoples, Ed.D. of Liberty Hill Missionary Baptist Church, after hearing the concerns of many community members and Ministers about the future of West Berkeley. Over 80 people attended the first meeting at the Library on University Avenue. After several other community meetings, WBNDC organized, incorporated and elected its first Board of Directors with Rev. Peoples, Chairman and Carlotta Campbell, Secretary. Several new members joined the Board, including Karen Latimer, Gerald Baptise, Ricardo Noguera and Ed Voris.

We had many concerns and goals in our early years. With funding from the City of Berkeley, we began long-range planning. We helped Thousand Oaks PTA with a special fundraising program for Black History Month. We advocated for the Development Agreement between the City of Berkeley and Miles-Cutter Labs (now Bayer). We sat on the West Berkeley Area Plan Committee and the Save Columbus School projects. We also started working with Albany-Berkeley Interdependent Elders Network (ABIEN), by sponsoring houses for the Christmas-in-April Home Repair program.

WBNDC Board of Directors, 1995: seated (l to r): Bill Hicks, Cissie Freeman, Evelyn Windham, Rodney Brooks, Margaret Breland, Esther Bernal, Betsy Morris, Maxine Aaron; standing (l to r): Ricardo Noguera, Bill Knox (general member), Louis C. Campbell, Andre Taylor, Willie Phillips; not pictured: Michael Praus, Mark Friedman and Jim Master

A Wish List for West Berkeley More subsidized child care for parents who work or attend school (BALDCOA has over 200 families on the waiting list) More summer jobs and internships for youth Fully equipped science and computer labs at the new Columbus School A reasonably priced produce store or Farmers' Market accessible to elders and residents without cars More residents participating in First Source job referrals A Marketing Campaign to support businesses along San Pablo Avenue A Neighborhood Festival to celebrate West Berkeley's cultural diversity A Mercado or festival marketplace for small entrepreneurs Paddleboats in Aquatic Park?

In 1993 WBNDC joined the organizing committee of the Community Cares Service Bank, under the leadership of ABIEN. We opened the first West Berkeley office of the Cares Bank in space donated by the Kaiser Foundation Regional Labs. Our Cares Bank members give hundreds of hours of practical help to each other. That summer, WBNDC started the Neighborhood Yard Clean Up for elderly and disabled residents. WBNDC and Cares Bank volunteers have restored over 35 yards since then, sending many bags of debris to the dump every year!

In 1994 we established a work plan for community participation, housing and economic development. With support from the City, we hired our first staff people in 1995: Aimee Chitayat (interim director), Bill Mack, Program Director, and Marth Becktell, Fundraiser. As we have done each year since 1991, we invited all residents and non-profit groups in West Berkeley to meet and find ways to cooperate. We worked with Berkeley Way and Catholic Charities to secure property and funds to build housing for developmentally disabled adults. And last but not least, we started the West Berkeley Neighborhood PrideGuide and Business Directory. This historic publication is free to the residents and businesses in West Berkeley.

Over the last year, the PrideGuide has brought more community members and businesses together than ever before. Many people have pitched in by buying and selling ads. Six high school students helped gather information for our computerized business database, their salaries paid by the Berkeley Summer Youth Program and the West Berkeley Fund for Community Progress. With a grant from the Sybase Corporation, we hired a computer instructor, Janice Jones, who also brought in support from several businesses and UC Berkeley. This year, we also won a grant from the federal Environmental Protection Agency to co-sponsor the Climate-Wise Project, an industrial eco-efficiency program, with the City of Berkeley and Gil Friend & Associates. Our consultant Ann Bartz has contacted over 60 businesses to help them cut waste and save money while improving air quality.

This next year we want to continue connecting businesses and residents together, by circulating our PrideGuide in print and on the Internet. We will also complete our five-year work plan for fundraising, continue to hold our annual community meetings to receive input from our neighbors and to maintain a strong Board of Directors and members committed to the whole community of West Berkeley.

San Pablo, 1942
San Pablo, 1996

I, Margaret Breland personally want to thank the West Berkeley Fund for Community Progress; Sybase Corporation; the City of Berkeley, the Community Development Department, Council Member Linda Maio and Council Member Maudelle Shirek; Kristin Prentice of Sphinx Graphics; Howard Levine of Alliance Graphics; and Dale Smith of the Berkeley Community Partnership, I also thank the WBNDC members and staff, including past Board members Ņour Chair Emeritus, Reverend Marvis Peoples; Ed Voris; Matt Crawford; Charles Freeland; Gerald Baptise; Karen Latimer; Carlotta Campbell; Elisa Tierney, Jill Friedman and our consultants and staff: Ragne Larsen, Bill Mack; Marth Becktel; Janice Jones.

WBNDC Five Year Goals

At the 1996 Annual Meeting, members voted for the following priority goals:

1. Publish the West Berkeley PrideGuide in print and on the World Wide Web


2. Advocate for and publicize resources for affordable housing, home repair, homeownership and community services


3. Work with businesses to identify jobs and internships for neighborhood youth


4. Create an entrepreneurship center for small business development


5. Develop our own "mixed-use" housing and commercial building on San Pablo Avenue

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Dedicated to Matt Crawford