Saving Flood Park Menlo Park style

Palo Alto Daily News/Bonnie Eslinger, 1/21/12. "To keep Flood Park open, Menlo Park may have to assume ownership of the 21-acre property from San Mateo County and then sell or lease up to a quarter of it, according to a city staff memo to council members.

Flood Park San Mateo County off Highway 101

A private school has expressed interest in building on a corner of Flood and local recreational sports teams have said they would like to make the park their home field, according to Menlo Park Community Services Manager Cherise Brandell. Other groups, including a 4-H Club, also have contacted the city. Someone even floated the idea of using part of the park for a cemetery. "There's lots of possibilities," Brandell said.

The city has indicated it would consider running the park at 215 Bay Road rather than watching San Mateo County close it because of budget constraints. But Menlo Park will have its own fiscal challenges now that the state has decided to dissolve redevelopment agencies and redirect the property tax revenue they collected to schools and other local needs, Brandell said.

The park, which reopened in November after a 13-month closure for a water pipeline project, could cost up to $400,000 a year to operate, according to Brandell. On Tuesday, the city council will be asked to approve a short-term agreement in which Menlo Park would pay the county $150,000 to continue maintaining the park through June 2013 while it explores possible revenue sources. "We want to make sure the park stays open," Brandell said. "We don't want them to close it for a year while we figure out a way to pay to keep it open."

Reference.  Flood County Park, Menlo Park. Link includes pictures of the park and a map.
Location.  South of Redwood City, East of Atherton, north of Menlo Park. Off of Bayshore Highway 101, on Bay Road, between Marsh Road and Ridgwood Avenue. 

Posted by Kathy Meeh