Menlo Park Notes Menlo Park Notes (March 17, 2004)

Menlo City Council to vote on Chester Street traffic-calming

Measures to slow speeders on Chester Street in the Willows neighborhood of Menlo Park will come before the City Council on Tuesday, March 16.

Residents in the area have long been pushing for relief, and many recently sent e-mails to the council supporting the plan. It includes adding two more speed bumps on Chester and raising two existing ones, as well as adding trees to frame the entrance to this residential area from the Willow Road commercial area.

The council could also opt to restrict left turns from Chester onto westbound Willow, which transportation consultant Dan Smith said is a difficult left turn and often backs up traffic.

Mr. Smith estimated that the whole Chester Street plan would cost $156,000, which he said could come from a combination of sources: redevelopment agency money, traffic-calming funds for the Willows, and the developers of nearby University Circle (due to traffic changes caused by the project).

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the council chambers at 801 Laurel St.

All the compost you could ever want

There may be no such thing as a free lunch, but at least you don't have to pay a nickel for your compost.

Beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday, March 20, residents of incorporated Menlo Park can pick up gratis compost deposited by BFI just inside the entrance to Bayfront Park at Marsh Road and Bayfront Expressway. Residents should bring shovels and containers.

The organic material comes from residential recycling of yard trimmings through the curbside collection program. For more information, call the city's environmental program at 330-6763.

Teen services info available in Spanish

Spanish-language information about various Menlo Park city programs for teens has been posted on the city's Web site, in hopes of appealing to Spanish-speaking teens and their families.

The page covers such programs as the Teen Center, the Girls Only program and teen volunteer opportunities. Officials plan to keep expanding the amount of teen services information available on the site in Spanish, city spokesman J. Michael Gonzales said.

To read the new Spanish section, go to the "Community Services Department" section of www.menlopark.org and click on "Teen Services." Call 330-2245 for more information.

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