Riverside to make Kirk birthplace accessible

Jun. 7, 2023 9:03 am

RIVERSIDE — The city of Riverside agreed at a meeting Monday night to open bidding on a project that would make the future birthplace of Star Trek's Capt. James T. Kirk more accessible to people with mobility-hindering disabilities.

Plans for the project show a wheelchair-accessible ramp with a handrail, leading up to a level concrete pad that would still leave some greenery around the landmark, and move benches up to face the stonework. The monument is currently accessible only by two steps of stairs, and faces a patch of grass in an alley by City Hall.

At the previous council meeting, City Engineer Brian Boelk said the work would likely cost around $55,000 if none of it was performed in-house, although the city could stretch its money by tacking on miscellaneous sidewalk repairs while crews were in town.

After Monday night's meeting, City Administrator Cole Smith said the city would keep accessibility and repair bids separate, however.

"With some of the smaller projects, we didn't want to have that get in the way of getting things done," Smith said. "When you have a bunch of smaller projects around town, some contractors don't want to deal with the hassle of all those things … if someone wants to bid out both of them, they can. But we didn't want to hold up the ADA project."

Construction around the monument is expected to begin shortly after TrekFest — June 23-24 this year — which serves as a pilgrimage to the landmark for many fans.

The monument, while somewhat low key, is a significant tourist attraction for the city year-round.

"Now that it's warmed up some, there are people here every day," City Clerk Becky LaRoche said at a March 6 council meeting.

Since then, decision-makers have spent several months discussing the specifics of accessibility improvements, and whether they would relocate the marker again in the foreseeable future.

The monument was already moved from behind a hair salon in 2021. A news release at the time from the Riverside Area Community Club claimed the original spot was a deliberate fabrication, intended to "prevent the Klingons from discovering the accurate location and returning in time to change events."

Council Person Edgar McGuire said a more visible location would be better for nearby businesses, and claimed it would better align with the Paramount franchise's canon, which says only that the future Starfleet officer is "from a small town in Iowa," although writers sometimes give nods to the city.

"It's just kind of hidden and away, it's not part of the downtown right now … it needs to have a more visible place," McGuire said at a meeting on April 17. "Let's look at the future, and, is Capt. Kirk going to be born in an alley?"

Other municipal officials said they were fine with the current placement, however.

"Who knows what's going to be there in 2228?" LaRoche said, referring to the birth date claimed by the stonework. "It's all fictional, it can be wherever we want it to be."

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