Restoration work along the Belmont Creek watershed at Twin Pines Park is one step closer to completion, with the tree removal recently completed and the start of construction to begin soon.
The construction is part of a broader effort to address erosion and mitigate increasingly intense stormwater flooding over the last several years, both within the city of Belmont and the nearby Harbor Industrial Area, which has seen some of the worst effects of the area’s most severe storms. The nearby Belmont Creek serves as a primary storm collector that feeds into the San Francisco Bay, and while its design capacity was meant for severe weather anticipated every 10 years, “more intense events currently exceed the capacity of the system downstream,” according to city reports.
The city began tree work at Twin Pines Park in January and completed it in April, removing about 50 nonnative trees and adding about 30 large tree sections. The next phase, set to begin in June, will require construction along the creek and involves removing invasive vegetation and stabilizing the eroded creek banks, said Sean Rose, principal at S.R. Engineering, the city’s consultant.
The project received grant funding and is part of an agreement between Belmont, San Carlos and the county. Due to the project’s grant stipulations, the project must be completed by next year, which means construction must adhere to a specific schedule.
“We separated this work to do it outside of nesting bird season,” Rose said. “The concern would be if you did it and you found nesting birds it would shut down the project just when we have to get going because of the regulatory schedule for creek work.”
The city plans to close part of the park for construction but Parks and Recreation Director Brigitte Shearer said staff want to ensure it is still as accessible as possible.
“There are so many areas that are right now not accessible or are questionable. They’re one storm away from being less safe and some of our fenced areas got washed away in prior storms … so to be able to make the park bigger, better and safer … is really nice,” Shearer said.
During the construction phase, the Redwood Picnic Area will be closed, as well as the trail between Ralston Avenue and the playground.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.