|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
How can Bedwell Bayfront Park in Menlo Park be improved over the next 25 years?
An open house to gather community response to that question and develop the park’s master plan will be held Saturday, April 8, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Menlo Park Senior Center, 100 Terminal Ave. in eastern Menlo Park.
According to Derek Schweigart, assistant community services director, people are invited to stay as long as they’d like. There will be informational stations and light refreshments.
This is the first public meeting on the project, though preliminary discussions with a steering committee have happened so far.
Attendees can expect educational information about the park, its history and its limitations, and a chance to talk about what they might like to see in the park’s future, he said.
The city has budgeted $258,000 for the study, and it has contracted with consultants from Callander Associates Land Architecture. A $66,000 technical evaluation of the park is also going on, funded by a separate landfill fund.
The 160-acre park is the site of a former landfill, so certain restrictions apply as to its uses. According to the report, when the park was converted from a landfill, gas-recovery and leachate control projects were built to decontaminate the site. These systems will need to be maintained in the future.
In early discussions, Mr. Schweigart said, some people have expressed interest in allowing canoes, kayaks or sailboards in the park, as they are allowed at the Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve.
People may also be interested in docent-led educational programs and tours, according to a [ staff report.
In 2006, voters passed Measure J, which determined that the park be designated for “passive use.” Currently, that means people can do activities there such as running, hiking, bicycling, dog walking, bird watching, photography or kite flying.
It’s expected that the planning process will include a vigorous discussion of what exactly constitutes “passive use.” Last August, that debate came to a head when the Menlo Park City Council voted 4-0 to ban remote-controlled aircraft and unmanned aerial systems in the park, with the caveat that the ban could be modified when the park’s master plan is updated.
Hobbyists who fly remote-controlled airplanes, non-motorized gliders, and quadcopters spoke passionately in defense of their pastime as a “passive” activity, while birdwatchers and others said such machines are noisy and disruptive to wildlife.
Another question moving forward, said Mr. Schweigart, will be how to sustainably fund the park.
The master plan is expected to be completed by November.
Click here for more information.
YouTube 'auditor' provoked, pepper-sprayed shopper at Mountain View Costco, police sayApril 8, 2026 12:23 pm
I would love to see a portion of it restore with native plants like Ulistac in Santa Clara. Ulistac had been a nasty, weedy abandoned portion of a golf course 20 years ago – it was in much worse shape than Bayfront Park – but through steady volunteer efforts, it has developed into a beautiful nature reserve, with a surprising amount of wildlife. Even to do what they did with the 1 1/2 acre butterfly garden would be great.
http://www.ulistac.org/
https://www.yelp.com/biz/ulistac-natural-area-santa-clara
This would be the perfect site for a frisbee golf course!
Ah, the bucolic joys of toxic landfill.
Remote-controlled airplanes, non-motorized gliders, and quadcopters – plz no way. Next thing you know folks will be flying around the place in their jet-paks.
More benches on the uphill paths for seniors folks and moderately handicapped folks to rest on.
Non-motorized model gliders are silent. Even electric gliders (motor used to climb only) are quiet. Banning them based on noise concerns is nonsense.
Distinguish by Noise, not whether or not it flys. Two line kites can make a lot of noise – are you going to ban them too?
This was a dump, a landfill, not a natural chunk of land. Let people use it in reasonable ways.
So currently what is banned is take-off and landings at Bayfront. They can legally fly over the park all day long…..be careful what you ask for.
Pilot
Championship 18 hole golf course.
Get rid of those hideous monster buildings going up on 101 that mess up the view of the mountains while walking on the bay lands. Who allowed that to happen ?!!