Menlo Watch: Study session planned on countywide park district Menlo Watch: Study session planned on countywide park district (May 05, 2004)

By Rebecca Wallace
Almanac Staff Writer

With funding slipping away for so many government-run programs, San Mateo County officials are working to create a countywide special parks and recreation district.

On Tuesday, May 4, County Supervisor Jerry Hill and Mary Burns, county director of parks and recreation, will bring their case to the Menlo Park City Council. Officials say San Mateo County is one of only two counties in the Bay Area that does not have a dedicated source of revenue for parks and recreation.

The Menlo Park council will talk about the possible benefits of a district, including higher levels of funding for park maintenance and capital projects, and its possible concerns, such as "taxpayer revolt/backlash" against a ballot measure, community services manager Bob Roessler wrote in a staff report.

The details of a special district are still being worked out, he added.

The May 4 council study session begins at 7 p.m. in the council chambers at 801 Laurel St.

Public meeting on tap for Willows traffic report

A public meeting will be scheduled to go over the results of a traffic survey on cut-through vehicles in the Willows neighborhood of Menlo Park, the City Council decided on April 20.

The council had planned only to hear a simple information item about the survey results, but several Willows residents pressed for a public meeting. The council chose to send the matter to the Transportation Commission to have that body decide whether to hold a neighborhood or commission meeting.

The survey, done last May by residents counting cars at entry points to the neighborhood, shows that a significant percentage of motorists using those streets don't live in the Willows, according to a report by transportation consultant Dan Smith. About 33 percent of the vehicles were cutting through the neighborhood, he said.

In the morning and evening of May 7, residents wrote down license plate numbers for vehicles traveling in and out of the Willows. The study deemed any vehicle entering and exiting in less than six minutes to be cut- through traffic. The report can be read at www.menlopark.org.

Arboreal nominations sought for tree awards

City officials are asking Menlo Park residents to nominate their beloved large trees for a Heritage Tree Award.

Honored trees are chosen for the award based on their health and how well they've been maintained, city officials said. The city's arborist will evaluate the trees, and the city Environmental Quality Commission will ultimately choose the winners. The deadline for nominations is 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 1.

Heritage trees are defined as those measuring at least 15 inches in diameter at 54 inches above ground level, or, in the case of oaks native to California, those 10 inches in diameter. The awards were launched in 1988 in hopes of encouraging owners to properly care for heritage trees.

Nomination forms are available on-line at www.menlopark.org and at various locations in the community, including the Civic Center, the city libraries, the Little House activity center and the Onetta Harris Community Center.

New city activity guide is out

Information about Menlo Park city classes for adults and children in such areas as dance, arts and crafts and cooking is available in the latest version of the city's Activity Guide.

Classes run from June through August; the registration period opened May 3 for residents and will open May 13 for everyone else. The guide also includes a Spanish section.

The guide is available on the city's Web site at www.menlopark.org. For more information, call 330-2200.

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