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Belle Haven vaccine clinic on Saturday
A clinic to inoculate Belle Haven residents who meet current state and county COVID-19 vaccination criteria will be held Saturday, March 13, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Onetta Harris Community Center at 100 Terminal Ave.
The clinic, organized by local nonprofit Belle Haven Action, the Ravenswood Family Health Center and the County of San Mateo, will prioritize available vaccines for Belle Haven residents who are health care workers, residents of long-term care facilities, 65 and older, or work in sectors that are currently eligible for vaccination, including agriculture and food service work, education and child care and emergency services.
“San Mateo County has committed to vaccinate our residents equitably, when they are eligible. This new and innovative approach brings the vaccine to where people reside and will make the vaccination process as seamless as possible for them,” said San Mateo County Supervisor Warren Slocum in a press statement.
COVID-19 cases among residents of Belle Haven — a single neighborhood in Menlo Park located north of U.S. 101 — accounted for 50.3% of 1,488 total cases reported in the city, as of Feb. 26. The neighborhood is home to nearly 16% of the city’s population overall and 90% of its minority residents, according to a statement from Belle Haven Action.
“The majority of our residents are hard-working families in front-line jobs. They are the ones working in our markets and performing other vital jobs and services that keep our community running,” said Luisa Buada, CEO of the Ravenswood Family Health Center in a statement.
Belle Haven residents may fill out an interest form here or access it through www.bellehavenaction.org for more information about how to register to be vaccinated.
Menlo Portal environmental documents released
The city of Menlo Park has released the draft environmental impact report (DEIR) for the Menlo Portal development project, a proposal to build 335 apartments, office space and child care space at 115 Independence Drive and 104 to 110 Constitution Drive.
The development, proposed by Greystar, would include a seven-story apartment building and a three-story commercial building with a total of about 35,000 square feet of office space on the top two levels and 1,600 square feet of child care space. Both structures would have above-ground parking garages incorporated into the buildings.
Under city ordinances, about 48 of the housing units would be for rent below market rate, and the developer planned to make an additional 15 units available for below-market-rate rent if permitted to build all 335 units proposed, according to the project webpage.
The draft EIR reports that the analyses conducted did not identify any significant and unavoidable environmental impacts from the proposed project.
The deadline to comment on the report is April 12. Written comments should be submitted by email to Contract Principal Planner Payal Bhagat at pbhagat@menlopark.org, or by letter to Payal Bhagat, Contract Principal Planner, Community Development, 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025.
The Planning Commission is set to hold a public hearing on the draft EIR and a study session for the proposed project via GoToWebinar or Zoom on Monday, March 22. People may provide oral comments on the draft EIR then.
Belle Haven nonprofit calls for faith leaders to be prioritized for vaccine
Belle Haven Action, a nonprofit focused on serving the residents of Menlo Park’s Belle Haven neighborhood, has asked the San Mateo County Health Department and the California State Vaccine Advisory Committee to give priority for the COVID-19 vaccine to faith leaders, pastors, reverends and church workers serving the community.
“Many members of the church community in Belle Haven are essential service workers in food service, agriculture, and the grocery/retail industry,” the organization said in a press statement. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, faith-based organizations and churches have distributed food, assisted with childcare, and conducted grief counseling among the families of those lost to COVID-19. These organizations also provide services to the homeless community.”
Serving those in need may have exposed these leaders to the same risks as the community they are serving have faced, the organization added.
Woodside committee collecting COVID-19 stories
The Woodside History Committee is creating a collection to document the lives of the town’s residents during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Committee members will be assembling an archive in the Woodside Community Museum to preserve the history of the crisis. They are accepting stories about how the pandemic has impacted Woodside families, both in good ways and bad, as well as interesting experiences they have had during this period. Submissions should be 500 words or fewer. If you wish to remain anonymous, please indicate that in the submission.
Send stories to woodsidehistory@woodsidetown.org.
New assistant principal at Las Lomitas Elementary
John Berry is the new interim assistant principal at Las Lomitas Elementary School in Atherton this spring, according to a March 8 school newsletter. He replaces Kristen Fielding, who left in November to work in the Lake Tahoe area, said Principal Alain Camou in an email.
Berry, a San Francisco native, has 28 years of K-12 educational experience and has worn a number of different hats in the profession as an assistant principal, executive director, high school adviser and more.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in modern history from the University of California at Berkeley, a master’s degree in educational administration from Columbia University’s Teachers College, and holds both an administrative service and teaching credential from San Francisco State University.
Berry lives in Marin with his wife Paula, and daughters Alexandra and Audrianna.
Encinal third graders advocate for diversity in bandages
The Menlo Park City School District now offers students bandages in a variety of skin tone colors after two Encinal third graders, Gabriel and Natalia, lobbied for the change to make all students feel included in the school community.
Encinal Principal Sharon Burns and teacher Larra Olson introduced the students during a Feb. 25 school board meeting, referencing the district governing board’s resolution to create anti-racist schools, according to a district press release.
“In class we read an article titled ‘Band-Aid launches bandages to embrace the beauty of diverse skin,'” Gabriel said at the meeting. “We also read the book, ‘A Kid’s Book about Racism.’ We talked about how this might make some people feel. We are learning about racism in my class and we noticed that there’s only one color Band-Aid for everyone. This one Band-Aid does not match my skin and maybe other people in my class. I am the only Black person in my class, so I might not feel so good about my skin tone without a Band-Aid that matches me.”
Rotary Club to award four college scholarships to Belle Haven students
This year, the Rotary Club of Menlo Park Foundation (RCMPF) is initiating a new program, Sponsor-a-Scholar, that allows community members to participate in fundraising efforts for local students. It received a pledge of $48,000 from the Tarlton Foundation to be used for up to four college scholarships for students from the Belle Haven community, according to a March 1 press release.
RCMPF traditionally raises funds through the Tour de Menlo Scholarship Ride and contributions from Rotary members. The new Sponsor-a-Scholar program allows individuals to sponsor a scholar with a pledge of a minimum of $2,000 per year for four years, or to divide that commitment with three other individuals so that the commitment is just $500 a year per person for four years. Community members, companies and corporations are encouraged to participate.
“This will be of tremendous benefit to our local Belle Haven community, which has been underserved for too long,” said RCMPF President Theo Keet. “We look forward to working with the local community to help more students with our scholarships.”
The RCMPF has provided over $2.3 million in four-year scholarships since 1984.
By Angela Swartz and Kate Bradshaw
By Angela Swartz and Kate Bradshaw
By Angela Swartz and Kate Bradshaw
