Talks on King Center renovation resume in San Mateo

Proposed updates presented in a Parks and Recreation Commission meeting Wednesday, May 1, ranged from relatively minor improvements — such as an upgraded fire alarm monitoring system, modernizing the smaller kitchen area and fixing a pool leak — to a more robust, large-scale renovation to the facility.

Plans for the latter are still in the early stages, with budgetary scoping still incomplete. But Public Works Project Manager Stephen Wu said the idea is for the facility to become what’s known as a resilient center, or one that can be used during emergencies. Such facilities would have sleeping quarters, back-up power and showers, Parks and Recreation Director Joanne Magrini added.

“Due to the many things we’ve responded to in recent years — fires, air quality cooling centers — traditionally San Mateo has leaned heavily on the library system to facilitate that, and we are trying to ensure that our other facilities are able to manage bigger disasters,” Magrini said. “Shower facilities are one of those key factors … and the central location of the King Center made a lot of sense citywide.”

A comprehensive plan to update the center was conducted about a decade ago, but financial constraints, coupled with other higher-priority capital improvement projects in the city, have meant such updates were often placed on the back burner. Some of the on-hold projects include renovations to the larger kitchen area, although a new family changing room near the pool was completed this year, staff mentioned.

“We haven’t quite figured out how to enumerate equity in some of these projects,” Commission Chair Sarah Fields said. “But that is a heavily-used space by children and families who don’t have a lot of alternative choices, and so it is an important public good.”

Other improvement projects staff mentioned during the meeting included outdoor ADA improvements to the Beresford Recreation Center and Lakeshore Community Center, as well as park restroom improvements and resurfacing the Washington Park basketball court, currently under construction.