From: "mjdavey@sbcglobal.net" <mjdavey36@aol.com>Date: May 12, 2011 9:41:44 PM PDTTo: Athertonians@yahoogroups.comSubject: [Athertonians] Town Council Meeting Wed May 18th 7pm Holbrook Palmer propsed Baseball Ballpark
Menlo Atherton Little League and BuildOurBallpark.org is proposing a major change at Holbrook Palmer Park. They want to put up a Permanent lighted scoreboard, back stop, permanent seating, dug outs & snack shack. It is a $500K proposal that promises money towards resurfacing the tennis courts, storage for Dames equipment, trees and other funds to the park. While this is all nice for baseball players what it does not take into account is decreasing the amount of park that other sports and residents can use. Besides changing the overall look of the park to a World Class Baseball Facility it is not in alignment with the park use for residents. Permanent changes that we all have to live with year round. Years ago the Council allowed the baseball field to be built with the promise of taking the backstop down after the season, that has been modified to be left up year round which is fine. This new proposal is a radical change aesthetically to the park as well ! as limiting its use to other user groups at the park.
Please come out to learn more about this before it is too late.__._,_.___
Friday, May 13, 2011
Town Council Meeting Wed May 18th 7pm Holbrook Palmer proposed Baseball Ballpark
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I am in full support of the proposal. It will be a wonderful improvement for the park as a whole and a benefit to our community.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the concerns expressed below and am open to learning more. I encourage everyone to consider the details before deciding one way or the other. There is a suggestion that the amount of the park available to others would be decreased if the proposal is approved. I do not believe this to be the case. There currently exists a ball field at the park that has been there for years. And, to be clear, the current little league field already has a permanent back stop and dug outs. Improving their quality will not decrease the amount! of park space available to all. And the only lighting associated with the scoreboard is the score and inning information and only during the games - which all take place in the daytime. The proposal in total improves all aspects of the park for everyone, excludes no one, and will help the park become even more of a destination for community building.
In the interest of full disclosure, I am a coach in the league. However, I will not be a coach next year and my boys will, unfortunately, age-out before being able to enjoy the improvements sought in the proposal. As for the ballpark itself, I can relate first hand that it only adds to the character of the park. People walking by the games stop and watch, see friends and linger. Beyond playing baseball at the park, my f! amily has been a frequent user of the park for the past 10 years. ; I believe the proposed improvements - both baseball related and not - will only improve the experience for everyone who is fortunate enough to visit our very special community park. I will certainly consider carefully the changes and look forward to learning even more. However, to the extent any of the change can be characterized as radical, it will be radically positive change.
Bill Frimel
Thank you for the heads up on the meeting next week. Prior to the meeting, I would encourage all to peruse the charter for Holbrook Palmer Park.
ReplyDeleteAs a member of the Park Commission when the original decision on a Little League field was made, I can tell you that we were in the grey area with the charter just to allow the field in the first place. I believe the proposed "improvements" and additions would be in direct violation of said charter.
I hope to attend Wednesday's meeting.
Paul Tonelli
I hope we all believe to a degree that our children are our future and that youth sports can play an important role in their development. Unfortunately I feel that Atherton is a town that is geared more toward advocating first and foremost for well to do adults. If you visit other communities in the bay area they have built exceptional sports facilities that are safe, comfortable and something the entire town is proud to have built. Given our budget constraints as well as the leadership crisis that our town is experiencing maybe it is time for us all to get behind a movement that creates a facility that embodies the characteristics that our town should strive to achieve. These characteristics would include:
ReplyDeleteWorld Class
Smart
Responsible fiscal approach
Safe
Supplying exceptional tools to support the next generation
Enjoyable
If you visit our sports fields today or town structures none! of these characteristics are evident. It is time we get into the game and begin behaving like the City we can be not who we have become. I recognize and respect that there are always two sides to a story but sometimes we all need to strive to think about our legacy and stretch beyond our comfort zone. This is a chance for us to come together as a community and may be a turning point to getting our town back on a path that we all deserve.
In full disclosure I am the treasurer for little league but will not have kids playing in the league next year.
Thanks.
Gary Dillabough
I also support this approach and have no kids involved but really believe in providing for benefits for all of our current and future children
ReplyDeleteKen
Ken Goldman
Cell: 415-342-2495
The below comments were not approved for release through the Athertonians email list. We apologize to the authors but hope to strike a balance between providing a forum for the discussion of issues of importance to residents of Atherton and not overloading the inboxes of those who are not interested in the topic. Thank you for your understanding!
ReplyDeletePlease continue to add to these comments by including your own. In "Comment as:" select the "Name/URL" option to fill in your own name. No registration required.
As a former Atherton resident (with kids) who now lives in Menlo, i can offer this perspective:
ReplyDeletewhy should Atherton get to free-ride off Menlo, Woodside, and other towns who have taxed themselves for nice facilties? the Burgess complex didnt fall out of the sky. the residents approved a GO Bond and private philanthropy kicked in too.
limiting Holbrook Palmer to teas and art exhibits is ridiculous, but the other reality is that the space has capacity limits. time for the future town leaders (parents with kids)to think more broadly and consider a parcel tax or GO bond to acquire new land and build new fields. the threat of the boondoggle high speed rail is killing any commerical investment along the CalTrain right of way, so perhaps you can get a few acres on the cheap.
my gut is there is enough dough in Atherton (and soon to be more with Facebook et al going public)for a handful of forward thinking philanthropists to cough up a few million to buy/build fields. alternatively, a very modest parcel tax would generate enough money to support a public bond to acquire/build fields and create an ongoing cashflow for maintenance
I support the project at HBP, but encourage you all to think outside the box
Robert Larkins
Managing Director
Wedbush Securities
1 Bush Street, Suite 1700
San Francisco, CA 94104
tel: 415-273-7311
fax: 415-263-6644
email: robert.larkins@wedbush.com
So do I.
ReplyDeleteJohn A Sobrato
On May 13, 2011, at 11:29 AM, Ken Goldman wrote:
I also support this approach and have no kids involved but really believe in providing for benefits for all of our current and future children
Ken
If what Paul says is true, I would be very concerned about violating the charter. Doing so could eventually bring additional legal action against the Town, which we definitely do not need, nor can we afford from an economical or reputational aspect. I do not know if we have a city attorney on board yet with the town, but if so, that person should review this issue in depth and be prepared to discuss on Wednesday.
ReplyDeleteMy other concerns - especially given the fact that I live very near the park - are security and traffic. Watkins road and its walkway/ditchway are eyesores and dangerous. I do not think those have been adequately addressed in the push to improve the park.
Unfortunately, I will not be in town on Wednesday to attend the meeting. I certainly hope the matter of the park charter is reviewed at the meeting, however.
-Liz Hammack
Elizabeth M. Hammack | Chief Counsel, CCO & Managing Director
C.M. Capital Corporation and subsidiaries
525 University Avenue, Suite 1500 Palo Alto CA 94301
Tel: + 650 326 6480 | Fax: + 650 325 4762
Email:ehammack@cmcapitalusa.com
Web: http://www.cmcapitalusa.com
I also was on the commission when Little Leaque came in. They have been good for the park,but they have not abided by the orginial terms and are not to be trusted. I do not support this plan. Jim Massey
ReplyDeleteI support the improvement of the baseball facilities at the park. The idea of a community park is that people will use it. The baseball use will bring more people to the park.
ReplyDeleteI have kids playing baseball, and soccer, and am an Atherton Resident. Most often, their sport activites are scheduled in Menlo Park since the facilities in Atherton are inadequate.
Erik Corrigan
I too am in full support of the proposal and, for the record, our family is many years removed from little league age or participation.
ReplyDeleteThe future of Atherton, our community more broadly, and yes our country
resides with our children. Youth sports play a major role in human development and the very fabric of a vibrant, alive, fresh, stimulating, town. Together we must look forward, and in this instance it means embracing opportunity with change and the evolution of our community. Parks are a reflection of vision and I for one think we should maximize family activity and the spirit of joy in living, as differenciated from sleepy and old.
Thanks to previous leadership that has embraced the limited little league use of the field. It validates the minimal impact on neighbors, the ability of the park to sustain increased useage, and demonstrates cultural value. This extension makes fiscal sense and will only add to the youthful, family foundation that I believe is Atherton's future.
Peter Harris
650 400-8245
This is the first that I've seen of this issue, so I want to thank mjdavey for bringing it up. I've used the park often and believe that it's important to these decisions be made carefully and not precipitously. I also don't think that we should look at this as an "all or nothing" proposal. We, as Athertonians, should consider what is best for our community. It may be, if the below comments are right, that the dugouts and backstop could be upgraded without any significant change to use or impact. I personally am most concerned about intalling a permanent, electronic scoreboard and a snack shack. I do remember that when the field was first agreed to that it was controversial. I think its an improvement and I like to see the little league games there, but I even more strongly don't believe that we need and shouldn't have a world class facility at Holbrook-Palmer. We will best serve the next generation by preserving historic space that maintains environmental character that once changed is forever lost.
ReplyDeleteRick DeGolia
I support the building of the facility. I was a former member of the Little League Board, a coach and my son played in the league. We used facilities at Encinal School, where Rory Furst built an extra field on the school property. Unfortunately there were no other facilities available to be used by the MALL in Atherton. Jeff Morris worked diligently to get a field put in at Holbrook Palmer. Menlo School, Sacred Heart Prep and Saint Joseph's School made their facilities available to the Little League. A field at Holbrook Palmer was used last year for my grandson's games.
ReplyDeleteI am reminded of a mural I saw painted on an elementary school in Reno, NV. It was a mural of young people playing in a school yard. The writing said:
"Children make up 25% of our population and 100% of our future."
I hope everyone keeps that in mind as we move forward.
Jeff Cunningham
I am in complete support of the baseball field. Sports are a very important lesson in life for both children & adults. It teacher people to work as a team. The park has 23 AC there is room for everyone.
ReplyDeleteColleen Anderson
I support this approach as well. I was born & raised in Atherton and can not emphasize enough having amenities for current and future children.
ReplyDeleteBrian Avery, Walsh Road resident
Work: (650) 961-8330.
Atherton Town Council Meeting Wed May 18th 7pm
ReplyDeleteLocation: Holbrook Palmer Park Jennings Pavilion
Link to the Agenda for meeting is listed here at this link and provides the full presentation from Build Our Ballpark.
http://www.ci.atherton.ca.us/city-council/3490.pdf
http://www.ci.atherton.ca.us/city-council/index.html
As a follow up to my original posting, I wanted to be sure people in town knew about the upcoming meeting and proposal that is being presented to the council for changes to the current baseball field at Holbrook Palmer Park.
While I agree with many of the opinions expressed about our children are our future and the importance of team sports for youth. I personally feel that we are fortunate to have Holbrook Palmer Park in out town for use for sports even though it was never designed to be a sports field. I live near the park and my children have grown up playing there as well as playing organized soccer and lacrosse there. I love that the baseball field is there and that there are approximately 140 Atherton families that enjoy playing baseball in the league that uses the park.
I so strongly agree with the concept of all kids having opportunities to play sports in their own town and was co-founder of Atherton Lacrosse that has provided over 1000 boys and girls the opportunity to learn to play an emerging sport. Traditional sports are not for everyone and I have been so rewarded to see so many boys and girls in Atherton come out Try Lacrosse and gone on to play in High School and College. Lacrosse is the fastest growing team sport in the U.S. and we need to continue to make field space available for this and other emerging sports that we haven’t even thought of yet. An Open Space for kids to play is a gift to be treasured. If we compartmentalize this great space it restricts what all kids today and in the future can do on the space.
Also impacted is AYSO Soccer which has 230 families from Atherton involved and a total of 1,661 boys and girls from Menlo Park & Atherton. Both AYSO and Menlo Atherton Youth Lacrosse are “no try out” sports that every child gets to play. This is a very important point as not every youth is a AAA player and can make the cut. AYSO practices M – F from August to November.
2 Key Points:
• Keeping the maximum amount of field space for all park users not just 1 specific sport
• Keeping the park a beautiful park like environment and not designating it as a Sports Facility in a residential neighborhood
What Can You Do? Please take a few moments to write to the Atherton Town Council Members to express your opinion one way or the other on this issue before the meeting on Wednesday May 18th.
A position in support of asking that the Council recommend that more time be taken to look at all aspects of this proposal and the potential impact to other park users. A master plan for the park would be helpful to develop as well so there is a benchmark of how the park should be used based on many residents input. Another area of concern that the Council should consider is how the prospective new library parking and traffic will impact this project. There are several projects being planned simultaneously at the park and we need to ensure that someone is overlooking all of it to see how each could impact the other.
Recently there have been several changes in the personnel that manage the park activities which is of concern right now as well to be sure that all decisions are being made responsibly. This decision could impact hundreds of Atherton residents (as well as Menlo Park) and their ability to have a sports practice in their own town.
Below please find the City Manager John Danielson as well as the City Council Members email address:
John Danielson jdanielson@ci.atherton.ca.us
Bill Widmer bwidmer@ci.atherton.ca.us
Jim Dobbie jdobbie@ci.atherton.ca.us
Elizabeth Lewis elewis@ci.atherton.ca.us
Kathy mckeithen kmckeithen@ci.atherton.ca.us
MJ Davey
Travel makes it impossible for either my wife or I to attend Wednesday's meeting so I want to submit my concerns in the hope that they will be given due consideration.
ReplyDeletePaul Tonelli has raised an important point, the charter that accompanied the gift of the land that comprises Holbrook-Palmer Park. The charter has use restrictions. I recall that when the current Little League use was being debated family of the original donors questioned whether or not this use was in keeping with the terms of the gift. I suspect that however meritorious Atherton residents may consider the proposed expansion of the Little League facilities, there remains an elephant in the room, the original charter. I spent my Air Force time as a research and development contracting officer. The chairman of our procurement review committee had a sign behind his desk that read "When All Else Fails, Read the Contract." The charter is a contract.
I encourage the Town to obtain a formal written opinion of counsel before before considering further changes in Little League use of the Park and the conditions with which they must comply.
Unfortunately I haven't been able to find and read the charter, but I did look at the HPP Foundation site and it seems to have been broad enough to allow for the construction of the children's playground, tennis courts, and original baseball field among other things.
ReplyDeleteAs an Atherton resident my family and neighbors have benefitted over the years from using these facilities in the park, and all of the other ones available in this wonderful space in our neighborhood.
I support the modest upgrades to the field that is already there so it can be even more functional and useful while in my opinion not detracting from the overall appearance of the park. It also is worth mentioning that this appears to come with no financial impact to the town and the benefit of additional upgrades to other facilities in the park from private funding. With the current financial realities facing our town this seems like a win/win proposition.
I'm far more interested in the benefits of continuing to have up to date facilities throughout the park that are consistent with its current use and esthetics as they have evolved through the thoughtful deliberations of our community over time than interpreting this proposal against the original charter of the park. From where we are today, will the park, the town and the residents better off with this proposal? Yes.