Peek inside Belle Haven Community Campus before May 18 grand opening

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Seeing Menlo Park’s new Belle Haven Community Campus (BHCC) emerge out of his neighborhood from start to finish gives Rondell Howard chills of pride and achievement.

“Being from the community — born and raised within East Palo Alto and Belle Haven, I’m just super excited,” said Howard, the city’s recreation coordinator. “It’s bone-chilling … to see it be developed and brought to life, and now there’s an opportunity for people to actually put their hands on it.”

With BHCC’s construction having wrapped up after more than two years, the city has set a grand-opening celebration for May 18 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11 a.m., tours of the facility, music, food and other activities.

A polished, sleek two-story complex befitting a high-tech company will greet the crowd at 100 Terminal Ave. in the historically underserved Belle Haven neighborhood.

The 37,000-square-foot campus features state-of-the-art energy-sustaining elements, floor-to-ceiling windows, a full-court basketball gymnasium, two libraries, an event hall and an aquatic center.

BHCC will offer a variety of youth, senior and other programs from Zumba and ceramic-making lessons to job-training and other educational classes — targeted especially for those living in Belle Haven but also available to the rest of Menlo Park.

Belle Haven residents, who receive discounted rates for BHCC programs, can start registering for them on April 27. Other Menlo Park residents can register starting April 30. Programming begins May 20.

“It’s just a step forward for us, moving toward innovation and just having things more accessible for the community,” said Howard, who led a media tour of BHCC on Monday, April 22.

“It’s time to utilize the amenities,” he added. “This is a big deal not just for me but everybody that’s involved and that’s been a part of the history and the culture that come from here.”

Showing the media around, Howard and city Library and Community Services Director Sean Reinhart highlighted BHCC’s top-flight green capabilities, including the large windows and tubular skylights that bring in natural light, onsite renewable-energy generation and battery microgrid to store and release power to the campus.

“Everything is electric,” Howard said.  

Reinhart noted that the city is pursuing the highest green-building ranking of LEED Platinum certification for BHCC.

Reinhart added that the campus has been built to withstand a major earthquake and is a designated emergency shelter.

The media’s sneak preview this week also revealed an aquatic center that could rival something found at a high-end private recreational club. BHCC’s swimming area has two pools, a cabana section, shade umbrellas, lounge chairs and even a splash pad.

In addition, the campus provides a kind of nature preserve in the back with towering mature redwood trees and drought-tolerant native plants.

Inside the slate-styled building, the first floor holds the senior lounge area near the entrance, hall of a capacity for about 150 people, young children’s library, gym and locker rooms.

The second floor has the main library, spaces for teen and community programs, and an exercise room with the latest machines and weights.

“This building was four years (in the making) from concept to completion, which is like light speed for a public building,” Reinhart said. “To see this come to fruition in only four years is really rewarding, and we think people are really going to love this new facility because it was really built for the neighborhood.”

The project broke ground in late 2021, replacing the old Onetta Harris Community Center on the same site. It also will be the new home of the Belle Haven Library, Belle Haven Pool, Belle Haven Youth Center and Menlo Park Senior Center.

A community campaign lobbied for the entire campus to assume the Harris name again. Harris was a steadfast neighborhood activist and pillar in Belle Haven and East Palo Alto until her death in 1982.

City leaders, however, decided instead to incorporate her name among five main programs within BHCC — the Onetta Harris Community Center, Belle Haven Library, Belle Haven Pool, Belle Haven Youth Center and Menlo Park Senior Center.

The Onetta Harris Community Center encompasses a number of spaces on the campus, including the “Movement” studio and “Flex Classroom,” which host fitness and learning programs there, respectively, as well as the gym and other rooms.

The cost to build BHCC is estimated to be about $65 million funded by the city and Meta, the Menlo Park-based parent company of Facebook. Meta contributed about $40 million.

BHCC “is a direct reflection of years of community conversations and our efforts to help advance the community’s vision,” Juan Salazar, director of public policy at Meta, said in a city news release about the grand opening.

The Friends of Menlo Park Library, Menlo Park Library Foundation and Maria S. Hoffman Trust donated additional financial support for furniture, equipment, books and other materials, the city said in the release.

Calling BHCC “a jewel nestled in a neighborhood,” Mayor Cecilia Taylor said in the release that the project’s key goal was “to build a new community space that will improve the quality of life for residents” in Belle Haven and all of Menlo Park.

Grand opening event

What: Belle Haven Community Campus (BHCC) grand opening

Where: 100 Terminal Ave., Menlo Park

When: Saturday, May 18, at 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Onsite parking is limited, according to the city. Organizers recommend walking or biking, or parking at 200 Jefferson Drive to take a free shuttle, to the celebration.

For more information about BHCC programs and to register, visit menlopark.gov/activityguide or call 650-330-2200.