Dog park planning underway

A public meeting will be held Monday at City Hall to view final plans for the park and discuss proposed rules. The city also wants to create a volunteer organization to help enforce the rules and maintain the park, said Community Services Analyst Tara Russell.

"We've received a lot of community feedback throughout the process," Russell said.

Letters were sent out earlier this month to residents who participated in previous meetings, but everyone's welcome, Russell said.

Neighboring communities like Foster City, Redwood City and Belmont have dog parks that are smaller and mostly ornamental. San Mateo's will be "substantially larger." It will contain natural grasses and have good irrigation because it's so close to the shoreline, Russell said.

Construction on the dog park is scheduled to begin in the near future. Construction on the rest of the park began in 2000 and is scheduled for completion early next year.

The park, near J. Hart Clinton Drive between San Mateo and Foster City, used to be barren land and landfill near the Bay. It's being transformed into a playground, picnic area and updated Bay trail.

Construction crews installed concrete columns to hold up a massive canopy for a picnic area. They have also installed a bridge over San Mateo Creek, created a water pond and put in play equipment.

An outdoor classroom, construction on the Bay trail and secondary trails, bathrooms, lighting and landscaping are scheduled for later this year.

The $15 million project is paid for mainly with redevelopment money and $1.4 million in state and federal grants. No money was taken from the city's general fund.

Planning for the park began nearly 15 years ago when the closure of the landfill was announced. Environmental law required a complete closure plan and rehabilitation of the site.

About five years ago, the closure plan was finally put in place and the master planning process began. After two years of public meetings, groundbreaking ceremonies were held in October last year. Redevelopment of the landfill began in April.

The meeting will be held 6 p.m. Nov. 29 at City Hall, 330 W. 20th Ave.

Dana Yates can be reached by e-mail: dana@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 106. What do you think of this story? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com.