The asphalt surround is an integral part of the bowling green. In addition to providing safe access around the green, it also contains embedded root guards on the south and west sides of the green. This asphalt surround was installed decades ago with help from the City of Berkeley (CoB). Over the years, the paving had deteriorated significantly due to uplifting of the pavement by tree roots, which created tripping hazard, and natural degradation of the surface asphalt.

We considered three options to restore the surround:

1. Add 3 inches of new asphalt on top of the existing surface;

2. Remove 3 to 4 inches of asphalt and repave; and

3. Remove the uplifted part, patch cracks, and seal the surface with latex-based top coat.

Options 1 and 2 were impractical and prohibitively expensive, so we chose Option 3. The pavement is restored to a safe and beautiful walking surface and, hopefully, will continue to serve us well with regular maintenance.