Park upgrades taking shape in San Mateo

Up for review at both meetings was a plan to bring aging facilities up to current code as well as a “preferred strategy” that would entail construction of a recreation center with aquatics and a gymnasium at the Bay Meadows Community Park, replacement of facilities at the Martin Luther King Jr. Center at 725 Monte Diablo Ave. and a renovation of the Beresford Recreation Center at 2720 Alameda de las Pulgas, among other changes. Officials also reviewed an alternative with scaled-back changes such as an aquatics center with no gymnasium or active fitness resources at the Bay Meadows Community Park.

Plans to replace the Joinville Swim Center with a facility featuring a range of resources included a dance room, afterschool child care and a gymnasium were also included in the “preferred” and scaled-back strategies.

Weighing concerns lodged by Bay Meadows residents about the impact of a new aquatic and recreation facility on their neighborhood and how sufficient parking could be provided at the site, councilmembers also considered the yearslong planning process leading up to the adoption of the strategic plan in 2016.

Parks and Recreation Director Sheila Canzian said resident input on parks program priorities collected in 2002 largely mirrored feedback collected in late 2017 and early 2018, with aquatics, active recreation and geographic equity between facilities located east and west of Highway 101 rising to the top for many residents. She noted child care and preschool have also emerged as priorities for the facilities more recently.

Though Councilman Eric Rodriguez advocated for officials to take steps to implement many of the upgrades included in the “preferred” strategy, he suggested they hold off on major changes to the Bay Meadows Community Park until other improvements have been made. Acknowledging the total cost of the “preferred” strategy is expected to reach $181.7 million and require off-site parking for the Bay Meadows facilities, Rodriguez wondered whether officials could start improving the other facilities and conduct further surveys to gauge interest in new facility at Bay Meadows.

“For me, it’s more about does this make sense for the city?” he asked. “And is it a concept that [with] all the different trade-offs and all the different things we have on the table this time, not in 2002, but today, would that still be the choice?”

Canzian noted the yearslong effort was aimed at looking holistically at residents’ recreational needs and explore ways they could meet them across the range of city parks facilities, adding decisions made about one location can have an effect on how other locations are used. Canzian also noted a lifestyle center where both aquatics and indoor recreational activities can be accommodated is one resource that is lacking for families in the city, and that open space would still be incorporated in the plans at Bay Meadows Community Park with plans to build a new facility there.

“It’s important to recognize that these are not stand-alone decisions in many cases,” she said.

But for Bay Meadows residents like Kelly Moran, whether parking near the Bay Meadows Community Park could accommodate a citywide facility was a top concern. With plans to build an office and hotel at the San Mateo County Event Center taking shape in recent months, Moran, who is also president of the Bay Meadows Neighborhood Alliance, was doubtful a previously-proposed plan to scope whether parking for a new Bay Meadows facility could be accommodated on the county-owned property would be feasible given the new uses planned for the event center site.

“I just urge you to not move forward with that idea until you’ve really taken a look at that because we think that’s a fatal flaw,” she said.

Moran argued several private recreational facilities are meeting community needs in the southern portion of the city and encouraged officials to focus the investment of public funds on the northern and eastern parts of the city, which she noted are lacking resources such as pools.

Councilman Joe Goethals also voiced support for the “preferred” strategy but wondered if major changes planned for Bay Meadows should be coordinated with those taking shape at the nearby Events Center. He also wondered whether a lifestyle center could be accommodated at the Joinville Swim Center site to offer more recreation options for residents living east of Highway 101 and whether officials could explore partnerships with San Mateo high schools to offer aquatics lessons there.

Having received several emails from residents asking officials to be cautious in their approach for new projects that could require a bond measure in the future, Councilman Rick Bonilla also advocated for officials to take their time and survey residents on what features they would like to see.

Mayor Diane Papan, who also served on a citizens advisory committee that shaped the strategic plan, said she felt the option to build a lifestyle center at Bay Meadows was an intriguing one as it could meet several needs, but said she also heard residents’ concerns about parking there. She said she felt community outreach had been weighed as the strategic plan was crafted, noting officials are trying to take a holistic approach to making needed improvements.

“We’re really doing our best to serve not only the Bay Meadows community, but the city as a whole,” she said.

anna@smdailyjournal.com

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