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Uploaded: Thursday, July 16, 2009, 8:47 PM
Update: New jail in Menlo Park?
Community meetings will be held next Tuesday, Wednesday
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A plot of land in Menlo Park is one of seven potential sites for a new county jail -- a fact that seems to have caught Menlo Park city officials by surprise.
The site, at 3633 Haven Ave., is north of the Belle Haven neighborhood, and east of U.S. 101.
Two of the seven potential sites are in Redwood City, and two are in San Carlos, with one site each in Menlo Park, East Palo Alto and Burlingame. The seven locations were winnowed in mid-May from an initial list of 24, according to Sheriff's Lieutenant Deborah Bazan.
A meeting will be held Tuesday, July 21, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the San Mateo County Credit Union, located at 350 Convention Way in Redwood City.
The second meeting will be on Wednesday, July 22, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the San Carlos Library, located at 610 Elm St. in San Carlos.
The county has been considering the Menlo Park site since at least March 2008, according to documents on the county's Web site. But that came as news to Menlo Park Mayor Heyward Robinson, who said he only learned of it on Thursday, July 16, from an earlier version of this article, posted on The Almanac's Web site.
"This is the first I've heard of it," Mr. Robinson said. "How real is it? I don't know. They certainly hadn't said anything to me."
City Manager Glen Rojas said he was not aware of any formal contact the county has made with the city.
The county decided in mid-May to include the Menlo Park location on the short list of possible sites.
The property is owned privately, according to Bob Livengood, a member of the jail planning unit in the Sheriff's Office. If the county buys the land, it would be exempt under state law from any city zoning regulation, Mr. Livengood said.
The city's business development department has said it views the area as a possible site for freeway-visible retail that would contribute to the city's sales tax revenue.
Mr. Livengood defended the county's outreach process. He said that council members in each of the cities with potential jail sites have been notified of the project, and that Sheriff Greg Munks has personally spoken to city managers and council members in some of those cities.
"We haven't had the kinds of meetings that will be expected over the next few months with the details, but we haven't been in any way shy or somehow non-communicative about where these sites are," Mr. Livengood said.
Mr. Livengood and Sheriff Munks recently went door-to-door to businesses adjacent to the site, passing out fliers, according to Mr. Livengood. They did not pass out fliers or speak to residents in the nearby Belle Haven neighborhood, he said: "We really stick to the properties that would be most affected."
Mayor Robinson said the issue would not be on the agenda for the council's July 21 meeting. The council is not scheduled to meet again until Aug. 25.
Three sites in August
The county hopes to narrow the list of possible sites to three by late August, according to Mr. Livengood. At that point, there will be "more interaction between the Sheriff and the neighbors."
The county hopes to present the ultimate site selection to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors in March 2010, according to Sheriff Munks.
Among the factors that will guide that decision, according to the county's Web site: how much it would cost the county to buy the land and operate the facility; the size and location of the site; the ease of access to the site; the quality of the soil; and the speed with which the county could begin to develop the land.
The Haven Avenue site "has some challenges," because it's bisected by a power line grid, making it impossible to develop portions of it, according to Mr. Livengood. "There's a pretty large PG&E easement that runs through it," he said, adding that each site has its own set of issues.
The county expects the new jail to be a 776-bed facility, lodging men and women in separate areas, according to Sheriff Munks.
New jail needed
Sheriff Munks said the county needs a new jail due to overcrowding at the Maguire Correctional Facility, where male inmates are housed, and at the women's jail.
The Maguire facility, constructed in 1994, was meant to lodge 688 inmates but currently houses 980, according to Sheriff Munks.
The women's county jail, which was built in 1980 and designed to house fewer than 90 inmates, holds 120.
Sheriff Munks said the new jail will focus on enhancing programs for the inmates, including re-entry programs, vocational skills and mental health programs.
The more violent pre-trial inmates -- such as murder suspects -- will remain housed at the Maguire facility, he said.
The project will cost between $130 and $140 million, all paid for by the county, according to Sheriff Munks. The county hopes to break ground on the project in 2011.
For more information about the jail planning process, go to this county Web site or call (650) 508-6722.
Reporting by The Almanac and Bay City News Service.
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Posted by Elizabeth Lasensky, a resident of the Menlo Park: Downtown neighborhood, on Jul 17, 2009 at 9:02 am Thank you for posting this news!
What outreach did the county do in either Menlo Park or East Palo Alto? Did our city staff or council know about this? The community meetings are next Tuesday and Wednesday!
I would think our business development office might want to provide some input to the county on the possible location of a jail in a prime redevelopment area.
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Posted by Deriter Wolfe, a member of the Woodside High School community, on Jul 17, 2009 at 10:19 am Keep an open mind, folks! The jail has to go somewhere and the NIMBY attitude is getting old. Of course the Councils know about this and it has been talked about in the news for the past year that they were looking for sites. Listen and learn and state your opinion and then decide what you want for that area. We need to stop being so negative every time someone has a proposal and listen to it first. These people have a job to do and that is exactly what they are doing. It is not easy and, of course, no one wants to have a jail in their community. They are a fact of life and it has to go somewhere. Just because they want to discuss it with the community doesn't mean it is going to end up there! Chill out and listen - politely!
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Posted by afas, a resident of the Menlo Park: Fair Oaks neighborhood, on Jul 17, 2009 at 11:30 am hopefully they choose menlo park so menlo park can gain some street cred
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Posted by Hmmmm, a resident of another community, on Jul 17, 2009 at 11:50 am Easy for Deriter to say folks are being NIMBY. I didn't read that they're planning a jail in *his* neighborhood. Yes, yes, keep the jails east of 101, closer to all of us unwashed masses...
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Posted by Elizabeth Lasensky, a resident of the Menlo Park: Downtown neighborhood, on Jul 17, 2009 at 1:08 pm Mr. Deriter Wolfe, please lecture someone else on not being informed and on their attitudes.
Residents and communities have the right to be notified of any actions to be taken in their area. Notice of the potential jail has not been made in any of our official sites. This has not been duly publicly announced. If you search the Almanac site, you will not find other articles or notices about the community input meetings scheduled for next Tuesday and Wednesday.
The location being discussed is in Belle Haven, where there are already plenty of street cred's. The residents and businesses in Belle Haven and other nearby areas should be given ample opportunity to state their concerns - just like should happen west of 101.
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Posted by Elizabeth Lasensky, a resident of the Menlo Park: Downtown neighborhood, on Jul 17, 2009 at 3:56 pm I stand corrected. The location being discussed is in an industrial area of Menlo Park, east of 101, but not in Belle Haven.
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Posted by Belle Haven Res Speaks, a resident of the Menlo Park: Belle Haven neighborhood, on Jul 18, 2009 at 1:58 am Some residents of Belle Haven feel anything east of 101 in Menlo Park is a part of Belle Haven. Therefore, yes a jail in the industrial area would greatly affect the Belle Haven community as well as East Palo Alto.
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Posted by sfgs, a resident of the Menlo Park: Central Menlo Park neighborhood, on Jul 18, 2009 at 3:04 pm There should have a jail right in the middle of sharon heights to improve the street cred there.
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Posted by Jeanne, a resident of the Menlo Park: Sharon Heights neighborhood, on Jul 19, 2009 at 5:44 pm Our business development manager's work?
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Posted by James Madison, a resident of the Menlo Park: Central Menlo Park neighborhood, on Jul 19, 2009 at 8:31 pm Has anyone asked David Bohannon about the impact of the proposed jail on his mega project and any plans he may have to acquire and develop the interstitial property in its vicinity?
James Madison
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Posted by Tully Mo, a resident of the Menlo Park: Felton Gables neighborhood, on Jul 20, 2009 at 12:05 pm At least they'll have a good view of Kelly Park and the new fields.
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Posted by Deriter Wolfe, a member of the Woodside High School community, on Jul 20, 2009 at 12:09 pm Not true, Hmmmm, we are in Redwood City - we know about jails (West of 101).
Dear Ms. Elizabeth Lasensky: This process is just beginning. That's why we were notified of the meetings next week so that it can be discussed. There will be more meetings - the discussion is just beginning and was duly noticed. I'm sure folks will have plenty to say and if theycannot attend the meeting, I'm sure they will send a letter to their representatives and/or make a phone call to their offices to state their opinions.
Pardon me for lecturing. Notice I used the word "we" - I included myself in those comments. My only point is that we tend to look for the bad and negative in things like this before giving them a chance to even be discussed. We go off getting angry and upset before we have heard what they have to say. We show up at the meeting pissed off when we haven't even given them a chance to state their ideas and reasons for their proposals. Do I want another jail in Redwood City? No! Howev er, I am willing to listen to the reasoning behind the proposal to do so. If it makes more sense, will save taxpayer dollars because of increased efficiencies, and if there is no threat to the surrounding citizens and other mitigating steps are taken to reduce the impact, I am willing to consider it.
I sat through many public meetings and I marvel at the people who attend that are so angry before they have even heard a word or listened to a presentation. It's not worth the high blood pressure, stress, and ulcers. I prefer a civil community discussion where we present our views and listen to each other.
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Posted by anonymous, a resident of another community, on Jul 21, 2009 at 2:14 pm Both employees and top officials within our justice system publicly demonize law violators. They should not be surprised when communities do not want offenders in their midst.
This is an attempt to scare us, reorder our priorities, and secure more money for an ever expanding justice system. Wish they would do more to control the size and cost of the justice apparatus rather than seeing "more" as the only solution. We cannot afford a new jail especially when stacked up against other priorities we will have to give up to finance both construction and operations, I would support a new jail only if excesses are squeezed out of the present system. I need to see evidence of more fiscal discipline.
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Posted by Althea, a resident of the Menlo Park: Belle Haven neighborhood, on Jul 21, 2009 at 2:54 pm Slash education funding and increase spending on jails and prisons. Gotta love California's priorities.
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Posted by Hmmm, a resident of another community, on Jul 22, 2009 at 1:39 pm Deriter is writing like he's an openminded expert about these type of projects, but being a Woodside High School community member w/a jail in RWC doesn't mean they aren't trying to push jail onto the eastside, which is where one jail already resides.
Quality of life issues abound, especially east of 101 in southern SM county and a jail likely won't improve that.
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