Menlo Watch: Public meeting planned on downtown stoplight (December 08, 2004)

By Rebecca Wallace

Almanac Staff Writer

Even with the help of a nifty computer simulation that showed little virtual cars zipping along Menlo Park streets, the City Council decided November 30 that more study was needed before moving ahead on putting in a stoplight at University Drive and Menlo Avenue.

Cognizant that a stoplight could cost $285,000, an expense not included in this year's budget, the council asked city staff members to organize a public meeting to allow residents to weigh in on the matter. The intersection is busy and sometimes confuses drivers with its unusual "offset" pattern: the east and west portions of Menlo Avenue don't line up.

Councilman Nicholas Jellins said he'd heard concerns that adding a stoplight at the intersection could adversely affect traffic flow at the nearby intersection of University Drive and Santa Cruz Avenue. "I want to study it more," he said.

Paul Collacchi was a dissenting voice, saying he'd be open to paying some of the initial stoplight costs, such as design expenses, right away.

Council members decided not to authorize interim safety measures for the crossroads, including relocating an existing crosswalk. They are also expected to discuss the stoplight at a priority-setting meeting in January.
New mayor, council members named

The first Tuesday in December is a time for new things at the Menlo Park City Council: two new council members will be sworn in, and a new mayor and mayor pro tem will be chosen.

At 6:55 p.m. on December 7, the council is scheduled to adopt a resolution accepting the results of the November election, in which Kelly Fergusson and Andrew Cohen were elected to the council. Paul Collacchi and Chuck Kinney declined to run for third terms.

If the council follows a rotation policy in place since 1993, mayor pro tem Mickie Winkler will become the next mayor at the ensuing meeting. Under the policy, the council chooses a person each year who has been on the council for at least a year but has not yet served as mayor

Ms. Winkler is the only one in that category, as Lee Duboc is the current mayor and Nicholas Jellins previously held the position. The council may also choose not to follow the policy.

Being mayor is largely ceremonial; he or she chairs council meetings and helps create agendas, but his or her votes don't carry any extra weight. Refreshments will be available in the council chambers at 701 Laurel St. after the meeting, which is expected to be brief.
SRI addition wins council approval

With a minimum of discussion, the Menlo Park City Council on November 30 unanimously approved permits for a 27,489-square-foot addition to Building T at SRI International.

The addition to the 23,000-square-foot building will include a new office wing and laboratory space, as well as an 8-foot-tall mezzanine for new mechanical equipment. No residents spoke at the council meeting on the project.

SRI officials last year put on hold sweeping plans to renovate the campus. They anticipate bringing back new renovation plans some time in the future, city officials said.

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