Daysog inquires whether A’s can link ballpark gondola to Alameda

During Alameda Councilmember-elect Tony Daysog’s previous two stints on the City Council he was known as a wonky and hard-working public servant. The third incarnation of Councilmember Daysog appears no different. Even before his swearing-in ceremony on Dec. 18, Daysog is already at work.

After news of the Oakland Athletics’ plan to build a new 34,000-seat ballpark across the estuary, Daysog asked team management whether the proposed gondola to ferry fans to the game might also include Alameda.

An email to A’s management inquiring about the plan and its feasibility on the Island was sent last week by Daysog. But at this point it’s only an idea Daysog is kicking around.

“I’m pursuing it, but I have more questions than answers,” said Daysog. “This isn’t going to solve traffic and I would like to know whether it is economically feasible.”

Extending a gondola from the Howard Terminal ballpark to Alameda would be about 2,000 extra feet, Daysog estimates, and could be placed somewhere around the Target at Alameda Landing. He cautions there may be height concerns about an Alameda ballpark gondola that would need to be high enough to allow for boats to pass through the estuary.

Daysog’s Alameda gondola idea might not be unique. According to a source, Oakland city leaders have already made preliminary inquiries about the gondola stretching to Alameda.

But this isn’t the first time Daysog has tinkered on his own in a bid to fix other stadium issues in the East Bay. While the Oakland Raiders were still searching for a new stadium in Oakland, Daysog studied whether a new football stadium could fit at the Alameda Point bay-side site known as Seaplane Lagoon.

Based on the team’s stated preference at the time for a scaled-down 50,000-seat stadium, Daysog used a similarly sized Stanford Stadium to show it would indeed physically fit at the location.

The idea however was likely merely an exercise in city planning and not a feasible plan for a city already clogged with rush-hour traffic and few exit points for vehicles to enter and exit the island.