|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
There was a plan to rehabilitate the Little League baseball diamond at Ford Field in Portola Valley, but with the state’s fiscal crisis, the town’s $255,000 share of grant money has dried up.
But with $35,000 in earmarked grants from the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), the town can at least make a plan for upgrading the field.
To that end, town staff and the Parks & Recreation Committee have arranged evening workshops in June and July to gather comments and suggestions from members of the public as to how to improve the field.
The first workshop begins with a 7 p.m. walk-around at Ford Field at 3399 Alpine Road on Thursday, June 18, then continues the discussion at the Historic Schoolhouse at 765 Portola Road at 7:30 p.m.
The second workshop is set for the Parks & Recreation Committee meeting at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 20, in the Historic Schoolhouse.
Workshop participants will look at possibilities such as paving the parking lot, installing public restrooms and choosing a backstop that won’t clash with the town’s rural character or the adjoining open space, Assistant Town Manager Janet McDougall said.
To help with the design, the town will use about $16,000 from the ABAG grants for consulting services from San Mateo-based landscape architects Callander Associates, Ms. McDougall said.
Callander “rose to the top” out of seven proposals for rehabilitating the field, she said. “They’re very good at taking public input and transferring it to design,” she said.
Executing the plan will require money from somewhere, if not the state. Asked about that, Ms. McDougall said that a local fundraising campaign is likely.
The town is welcoming public comment through its Web site. Go to www.portolavalley.net and choose “Comments and Feedback” from the About Portola Valley menu.
For more information, call Ms. McDougall at 851-1700, ext. 218.