A complete overhaul of Willow Oaks Park is scheduled to begin later this year. The project, which has essentially been in the works for almost a decade, will go before the city council for final approval in July. In the lead up to this final approval: 

- the city council has discussed the project on several occasions and authorized its funding
- a resident survey was conducted to determine what changes/updates residents wanted to see  
- I’ve connected direct outreach to residents bordering the park
- city staff has reached out to residents bordering the park as well as other key stakeholders such as Building Kidz and the tennis community

To recap, the project will include the following changes/updates:

- new play structures
- the addition of 5 picnic tables
- new landscaping throughout the park 
- new fencing around the dog park and playground
- resurfaced basketball courts 
- resurfaced and/or new pathways throughout the park including a new pathway linking the park to Pope St.
the addition of bathrooms (near the tennis courts)

Given that there still may be questions in the community about some elements of the project, I plan to devote the upcoming District 2 community office hour (Saturday - 6/3, 9am) at Cafe Zoe to the park. 

Here’s the project website: https://menlopark.gov/Government/Departments/Public-Works/Capital-improvement-projects/Willow-Oaks-Park-improvements

Note: The field adjacent to the park is not technically a part of the park. The field is the property of the Ravenswood City School District. The field is made available to the public and youth sports leagues during non-school hours as part of an agreement between the city and the school district. 

The city's annual Egg Hunt returned after a 3 year absence during the pandemic. While the event normally takes place at Burgess Park, this year the city teamed up with San Mateo County to host the event at Flood Park in District 2. 

A wide-ranging discussion that touched on the SAFER Bay project and gas-powered leaf blowers among other topics occurred during the third installment of the District 2 Community Office Hours.  Thanks Jeff, John and Brian for stopping by. 

The water level of San Francisquito Creek at the Pope/Chaucer Bridge got dangerous high last night, reaching over 18 ft. But the water did not breach the creek's banks. Staff from both Menlo Park and Palo Alto spent portions of the night picking large debris out of the creek and monitoring water levels. ​