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Neighbors fight to protect Flood Park By Sandy Brundage Almanac Staff Writer
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hat is a neighborhood park worth? San Mateo County estimates $205,000. To those living near Flood Park, its more along the lines of priceless. About 100 people crowded into Jill Olson’s living room on April 28 to brainstorm ways to keep Flood Park open without straining either the county’s or the city’s budget. The group included representatives from the county. Faced with needing to trim 10 percent from its operating budget, the county Board of Supervisors recommended permanently shutting down the 21-acre park, located at 215 Bay Road, which is closed until Sept. 30 anyway while the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission installs a water pipeline. The supervisors also asked Menlo Park to consider taking over park operations. Kristin Cox, the meeting facilitator and president of the Suburban Park Homeowner Association, said the meeting wasn’t about debating the viability of ideas. “We’re not park rangers. We’re moms and dads and community members who
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love the park,� she said. Ms. Cox said one idea is keeping the playground and picnic area open while fencing off the remainder of the park. Another is starting a nonprofit modeled after Friends of Bedwell-Bayfront Park. Amy McGaraghan, who man-
About 100 people crowd into living room to brainstorm how to save local park. ages the Save Flood Park website, said that since the park is closed, it’s been hard to reach out to everyone who uses it. “I was saddened that it sounds like the county parks commission isn’t going to change its recommendation (to close the park), that was certainly disappointing, but I was glad they were willing to come talk to us and do some outreach,� she said. Other proposals include charging walk-in park visitors; staging a concert series or other fundraisers at the park; enlist-
Nonprofit group forms to support Project Read in Menlo Park By Renee Batti Almanac News Editor
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16 N The Almanac N May 4, 2011
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new nonprofit has been formed to support adult literacy in the Menlo Park area — a timely development, given the state funding cutbacks that are certain to be felt by libraries and literacy programs across California. Literacy Partners will focus on fundraising for Project ReadMenlo Park, which has helped more than 2,000 adults learn English language skills such as reading and writing since its 1985 founding. Project Read is administered and funded, in part, by the city of Menlo Park — a funding source that may diminish as the city is forced to make ever deeper cuts in its services to balance its budget. But it also receives funding from the state through its California Library Literacy Services division, which is bracing for major cuts in the next fiscal year. The new local organization received its nonprofit status late last year. In the group’s “infancy stage,� Literacy Partners organizers have been working to refine policies and guidelines, and establish
connections with key people, such as the Menlo Park Library director, and other library support groups such as Friends of the Menlo Park Library, according to Kristi Breisch, the group’s chairperson. Over the last six years, volun-
Over the last six years, volunteer supporters of Project Read-Menlo Park have poured considerable energy into bolstering the program’s efforts to advance literacy. teer supporters of Project ReadMenlo Park, which offers free one-on-one literacy instruction for adults with the help of volunteer tutors, have poured considerable energy into bolstering the program’s efforts to advance literacy, and, in the face of increasingly shaky funding sources, its fundraising capabilities. A major step was the formation in 2005 of an advisory board, which gradually realized that a nonprofit group was needed to support Project Read.
ing citizen rangers; and using volunteer general contractors to make improvements to develop more sports fields at the park, according to Ms. McGaraghan. “We used the park every day. We have young kids; that’s their backyard,� she said. “We’re going to continue doing everything we can to tell the county and city we want the park open.� Can a city have too many parks? Mayor Rich Cline suggested that Menlo Park may be approaching the time to focus on strategic resource management instead of acquisition, now that the city has a new gym, recreational center, performing arts center, and expanded pool service at Burgess and Belle Haven. With Flood Park, the city would also have Hillview, Kelly, Burgess parks with full soccer or lacrosse fields, and two adult baseball fields, according to the mayor’s tally. “If we miss this opportunity we will look back in disappointment. But, at the same time, we have to be aware that we have to determine the balance of recreational space and resource and passive use parks,� he said. Go to savefloodpark.org to track the group’s efforts. A
Before Literacy Partners received its legal nonprofit status, Project Read sponsored several fundraisers, most notably the annual “Taste Desserts� event in September, under the umbrella sponsorship of the nonprofit Friends of the Menlo Park Library. But the Advisory Board determined that by creating a nonprofit focused exclusively on Project Read’s literacy programs, volunteer supporters of the program would have more control over funds raised for Project Read. Ms. Breisch noted that Literacy Partners will work to raise funds not only from within the community, but through grants from foundations and other sources. In addition to boosting funding to maintain Project Read services, which includes a popular “Families for Literacy� program, Literacy Partners organizers hope to raise enough money to augment Project Read support staff. Currently, Project Read’s paid staff hours total fewer than 80 hours a week — to run a program that trains and supports about 100 volunteer tutors for about 110 students, among a number of other duties. In the near future, Literacy Partners will have information online about its goals, its work, and how to get involved, Ms. Breisch said. A