Belle Haven residents seek more library hours, stop signs Belle Haven residents seek more library hours, stop signs (March 24, 2004)

More stop signs, evening and weekend hours for the Belle Haven Library, and better parent involvement in the schools were among the goals set by residents of Menlo Park's Belle Haven neighborhood who attended the Belle Haven Community Building Day on March 6.

Held at Belle Haven Elementary School, the event attracted a diverse crowd of 124 people, about half of them children, Mara Mintzer, the city's Belle Haven family services manager, wrote in a staff report. Attendees worked with city officials to come up with ways for improving the area.

The city's budget crunch made some of the goals implausible, Ms. Mintzer wrote. For example, having evening and weekend hours at the library would mean either reducing daytime hours or seeking additional funding from Belle Haven Elementary. Funding constraints also make adding city recreation activities on the weekend impossible, she wrote.

City staff, however, are looking into putting additional stop signs at Newbridge Street and Almanor Avenue, and at Ivy Drive where it meets Chilco Street and Henderson Avenue, Ms. Mintzer wrote. Staff also said they would look into concerns that speed bumps are not maintained and that signs and "clean-up posts" are needed to remind people to keep their dogs on leashes and clean up after them in parks.

Several residents also criticized the quality of local schools, so city officials will be bringing the day's report to the Ravenswood City School District Board.

In response to comments about the need for neighborhood beautification, some residents proposed applying for a grant from the Peninsula Community Foundation to help clean up the area.

The Menlo Park City Council will discuss the report at the Tuesday, March 23, meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. in the Menlo Park Senior Center at 110 Terminal Ave. The report is posted in the City Council section of www.menlopark.org.

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