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Weekend Caltrain service suspended in Menlo Park for two weekends
Weekend Caltrain service will be suspended in Menlo Park April 13-14 and April 20-21 while the rail service readies its 23 new electric trains that will replace 40-year-old diesel train sets in September, according to an April 8 city of Menlo Park press release. The trains will need to be tested for 1,000 miles before they’re ready for passengers, according to Caltrain.
As part of the weekend service suspension, morning trains will be replaced by buses between San Francisco and Mountain View. There won’t be replacement buses at the Menlo Park station, so riders are advised to take SamTrans to the Palo Alto or Redwood City stations and transfer to the replacement buses.
With electrification, there will be more weekday trains during peak hours, shorter travel times, and less pollution and noise from trains, according to Caltrain.
Caltrain will also host a tour of its electric trains on Saturday, May 11, from 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at the San Carlos Caltrain station, 599 El Camino Real. In addition to the tour of the trains, there will be food trucks, games and a photo booth. More information is available at caltrain.com.
Love Our Earth Festival on April 13 in East Palo Alto
Menlo Park and East Palo Alto will host a joint Love Our Earth Festival on Saturday, April 13, from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. at Bloomhouse, 2555 Pulgas Ave. in East Palo Alto. There will be a plant-based market, along with arts and crafts activities and story times for children.
The event will include a home electrification showcase where you can learn why and how to choose induction stoves, heat pump water and home heaters, electric clothes dryers, solar panels and battery storage. Homeowners who’ve already made the switch to electric home appliances will be around to chat with attendees.
There will also be a electric vehicle showcase with new and used EVs, electric motorcycles, e-bikes and manual bikes.
East Palo Alto and Menlo Park and cosponsoring the event with Peninsula Clean Energy, 350 Silicon Valley, Acterra and Menlo Spark.
Admission is free. Register at tinyurl.com/LOE2024.
Vouchers for electric landscaping equipment in Menlo Park
Menlo Park is now offering vouchers to eligible residents and businesses purchase electric landscaping equipment as the city readies for a ban of gas-powered landscaping equipment, which starts in July.
Gardening businesses are eligible for up to $1,000 in vouchers and residents can save up to $250.
Vouchers are redeemable toward the purchase of electric leaf blowers, hedge trimmers, chainsaws, lawnmowers and more.
For more information, go to tinyurl.com/menloparkgardenvoucher.
Menlo Park Safe Routes to School poster and video contest open
The Menlo Park Safe Routes to School Program is holding its third annual poster and video contest. Students who submit a piece of artwork or video for a chance to win prizes from local businesses (gift certificates to Kepler’s Books, Sports Basement and Coldstone Creamery), according to a city press release.
Children can team up with friends or siblings to create their posters. The artwork should reflect school travel themes such as different transportation modes families use to commute to school or what they enjoy most of their travel to school.
The video challenge is open to middle and high school students. The theme is biking safety and bike etiquette.
Examples of past posters and videos from the 2023 winners are posted on the SRTS website.
Students have until May 31 to submit their posters or videos here. For more information, go to tinyurl.com/SRTScontest2024.
Submissions open for Menlo Park’s Youth Poetry Voices contest
The city of Menlo Park and the Menlo Park Library Foundation are hosting their annual Menlo Park Youth Poetry Voices contest and exhibition for aspiring poets in grades 1-12.
All poets will have a chance to share their work at a reception hosted by the library, be published in a commemorative anthology which will be displayed in the Local Authors Collection.
Submissions will be accepted until April 30. Featured poets will be invited to present their poem to the council on May 21.
Apply at menlopark.gov/youthpoetry.
— Angela Swartz
Compost giveaway for Portola Valley residents
The town of Portola Valley is hosting a free compost giveaway in collaboration with GreenWaste on April 19. The giveaway will take place at the Portola Valley schoolhouse parking lot in the afternoon for residents.
Each household is entitled to one bag on a first-come, first-serve basis. The town is aiming to promote sustainable waste management and the positive impacts of composting on the soil and environment. The compost is made from recycled green and yard waste to be used as a supplement for your soil.
For more information on the GreenWaste’s composting facilities visit greenwaste.com.
Rotary Club of Menlo Park awards nonprofits with $43K in grants
The Rotary Club of Menlo Park granted 12 local nonprofit agencies with a total of $43,000 in community grants. Each grant ranged from $1,500 to $5,000 from the Rotary Club of Menlo Park, the club’s foundation and Tour de Menlo, the club’s annual bicycle ride.
Grants were focused on youth and senior food insecurity, arts and culture, human trafficking and education. The recipients of the grants include:
- CoolineKids will be using the grant for a summer program in East Palo Alto and East Menlo Park for K-8 students. The program will provide kids with a safe space to learn skills in communication, science, leadership and more.
- Ecumenical Hunger Project is an East Palo Alto organization that will use the grant to provide bagged meals to children struggling with food insecurity.
- Foundation for a College Education plans to use the grant to support low income East Palo Alto students graduate from a four-year college. The program provides support in tutoring, financial aid, test preparation, scholarships and the cost of college applications for five high school seniors and community college transfer students.
- LifeMoves, an organization that supports unhoused families, will provide students of the 23 Haven Family House in East Menlo Park with educational resources to support academic success.
- Live in Peace will be helping at risk high school students with reclaiming their vision of the future by mentoring, tutoring and one-on-one coaching.
- Meals on Wheels will be using the grant to continue their program that delivers nutritious foods to seniors and adults with disabilities.
- Menlo-Atherton Learning Center plans to partner with organizations that support veterans, the elderly, the environment and public health.
- Menlo College is supporting students by providing Safeway gift cards and stocking their community kitchen to address food insecurity on campus.
- Peninsula Bridge will be using the grant to help 38 highly motivated low income students from East Palo Alto achieve college and career success. The grant will also be used to pay teachers in the summer and for after-school programs.
- Ravenswood Education Foundation will be providing arts education to all K-8 students in the Ravenswood Elementary School District. The grant will fund materials and salaries for the art and music program at Belle Haven Elementary School.
- St. Anthony’s Kitchen plans to create a 5-minute video on building compassion and awareness for the organization’s services and to attract volunteers to help in their kitchen and dining room.
— Jennifer Yoshikoshi
