Couple pledges $1 million for new town complex Couple pledges $1 million for new town complex (February 25, 2004)

** Portola Valley pledge is anonymous.

By David Boyce

Almanac Staff Writer

Ten days after the Town Council of Portola Valley decided to take steps to abandon the town's aging complex of municipal buildings and rebuild them in a nearby location not traversed by an earthquake fault, the town has received a pledge of $1 million to help pay for construction and landscaping.

The pledge -- made February 19 by a Portola Valley couple who chose to remain anonymous -- requires that the new complex include an administration building, a library, a multi-purpose room, a science classroom, storage for equipment and town vehicles, and disaster preparedness facilities, said Town Administrator Angela Howard.

Fundraising for the project should begin soon, and will bear on what the town chooses to do, Ms. Howard said, adding: "We're hoping we can get some generous donations so that we can do as much as possible as soon as possible."

The town does not yet have a design or cost estimate for the new buildings. A master plan and cost analysis for the project are expected by the end of the summer following an intense four-day collaborative effort involving architects, design professionals and interested community members.

An extensive engineering survey commissioned by the town recently concluded that buildings for human occupancy should not be located where the existing buildings are now -- in the seven acres between Portola Road and the eastern edge of the soccer field and tennis courts.

On February 9, the Town Council announced its intention to abandon the existing buildings -- on a schedule not yet determined -- and rebuild the complex in the four-acre area recommended for new construction, probably over the location now occupied by the tennis courts.

"We intend to have a design that our residents will be proud of," said Mayor George Comstock in a statement acknowledging "the very generous gift."

Among the planned attributes of the new complex, Mr. Comstock cited the importance of a design consistent with the town's natural environment and one that meets the town's building guidelines. The town is bisected by the San Andreas fault.

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