| News - Friday, September 21, 2012
City accepts donation of Berlin Wall sections
by Daniel DeBolt
On Tuesday the City Council accepted the donation of two large sections of the Berlin Wall.
The two sections of the wall, weighing 7 tons each, may soon be placed in a conspicuous location in Mountain View such as a public park, thanks to the wishes of German immigrant Frank Golzen, a Los Altos resident who died in 2008 at 92. Golzen had placed them at the site of his first real estate development, the Bayshore Business Park in Mountain View at 2685 Marine Way, along with a plaque crediting American economic ideals for its fall.
The City Council voted unanimously at its Sept. 18 meeting to accept the donation, spurred by a recent sale of the property by Golzen's family. The city's Visual Arts Committee will now take up the question of where to place the pieces and whether to use the plaque written by Golzen. The plaque says: ''The world must not forget that it was America's resolve and its political and economic ideas that made this bloodless revolution and most significant historical event possible."
A recommendation is set to return for a council vote by the end of the year. The pieces must be moved by next summer.
The pieces have graffiti on them, a depiction of Elvis and the words, "we love you" in German.
"It is a big piece, you don't want it tucked away in some dark corner," said City Manager Dan Rich.
Email Daniel DeBolt at ddebolt@mv-voice.com | 
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