Dear Council members,

I am concerned that one of our city’s capital improvement projects, the proposal to construct an emergency water supply at Seminary Oaks Park, has been developed without clear goals and objectives. Further, this project seems to be proceeding in isolation from other city development projects with which it would dovetail nicely.

It’s not too late to correct our course and develop a well-planned, cost-effective project that serves the community.

The proposal for Seminary Oaks Park unfortunately has been developed without our first having identified the amount of emergency water our community needs. It’s important that we have a good understanding of how much water storage we want (and are willing to pay for), so that we know whether our city’s needs will be met by this or any other proposed reservoirs or wells, and what the total capital and operating costs will be.

Two different consultant reports have yielded very different recommendations both for emergency water storage and for fire flow. In addition, the California Department of Health Services Title 22 guidelines were revised recently.

We need to reach agreement on the water storage capacity before we proceed. Then we can then work to cast a broad net to find an appropriate location or locations for the reservoir(s) or well(s) necessary to meet those needs.

The search for an appropriate location for this emergency water supply should be integrated with the city’s general plan, other development, and park planning processes. We should strongly consider coordinating any reservoir construction with the creation or renovation of sports fields. Similarly, we might develop creative partnerships with other landowners that could save the City money and lead to a win-win outcome.

With clear goals and community involvement, we can proceed in a thoughtful, coordinated way to provide our city with emergency water. I am hopeful that you can provide the leadership and public involvement necessary to bring about a better project that truly serves all residents of Menlo Park.

Thank you.

Kathy Switky
Nash Avenue    Received on Mon Jun 30 11:09:52 2008