City spends $10K on high-speed rail outreach

"Belmont is behind a lot of cities right now. We are participating in the [Peninsula Cities Consortium] but we need to get the word out to residents,” said Mayor Christine Wozniak who made the request.

City staff is already working on the project but most of it has been "under the radar,” said Wozniak who wants to make sure the city accounts for its time.

The outreach will include several community meetings and possibly Web work or mailings piggybacked with other items, she said.

The city newsletter is one option but its cancellation is being considered.

The city may later hire consultants or join with other efforts to hire lobbyists but there is no plan to at this time, Wozniak said.

Belmont residents may not be paying as close attention to high-speed rail as others on the proposed affected route because Caltrain doesn’t stop often within its borders, Wozniak said.

That said, there are a number of small businesses along Old County Road that need consideration and must be protected, she said.

"No matter what they do, it is going to impact the city,” she said.