North Central San Mateo’s Martin Luther King Park improvements moving forward

Having served on the city’s Park and Recreation Commission for some eight years, Commissioner Ellen Mallory said she was excited to review plans that have long been in the works. Also included among the improvements are the resurfacing of a basketball court, improved security lighting, a walking path along the park’s perimeter and additional picnic tables, among other changes.

Acknowledging a synthetic turf will allow sports teams to use the playing field all year long, Mallory noted the benefits of providing a place where teams can consistently practice or play games without worrying about the weather.

“This is an opportunity for equity to happen in the North Central neighborhood and to have a really beautiful park on par with other parks in the city,” she said, according to a video of the meeting. “I’m very excited to see this taking shape.”

Paul Council, a special projects manager for the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, explained the current playing field is closed for about one third of the year in the winter so maintenance crews can make needed repairs to the grass turf. Though he acknowledged most would prefer to play on a natural grass field, he noted city staff is not able to maintain the fields according to the level of use they receive and synthetic turf is expected to improve the safety and availability of the field.

Council said the effort to address the needs of those who use the field equipped for soccer and baseball games was accompanied by efforts to gauge interest in other park improvements with the surrounding community and explore how sycamore trees lining the park’s northern and eastern edges on East Santa Inez Avenue and North Fremont Street could be protected.

Though upgrades to the lighting for the field, additional picnic and game tables to the western side of the park on North Eldorado Street and an additional water faucet were also suggested by residents, Council said those changes would either be added later or not completed if the project lacks funding. According to a staff report, a total of $2,540,000 has been appropriated to the project.

Mallory asked Council if it would be possible to avoid removing six pear trees near the park’s parking lot. Set to be replaced by six myrtle trees, the pear trees would likely be damaged by the root pruning that would be required during construction, he said.

In response to a question from Commissioner John Ebneter, Council explained segments of a 10-foot chain-link fence bordering East Santa Inez Avenue and North Fremont Street will be moved a few inches and replaced since the fence is in poor condition.

Ebneter expressed interest in including a compost bin with the new trash receptacles planned for the park, and also looked to the changes to reduce the need for gas-powered tools used to maintain the park.

“This is a very condensed neighborhood and I’m sure the park is loved and revered,” he said. “But if we weren’t creating any more dust and noise maintaining it, it may even be a bigger amenity.”

Having played soccer at the field and attended several meetings at the Martin Luther King Community Center, Commissioner Ramiro Maldonado welcomed the improvements and the idea of making year-round use of the playing fields available.

“This is a representation of not just the city, but also what this park can do,” he said. “I look forward to playing there.”

anna@smdailyjournal.com

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