Dear Council Members and Menlo Park Library Leaders:
It is with great disappointment that I have been following the recent developments pertaining the proposed library expansion. It
would be highly irresponsible to continue a project that requires additional funding of $40M of taxpayer money without considering
what the public needs by putting it up for vote. The question of the library should be considered in the context of needs for
other services on this location. There was hardly enough outreach to the public and not nearly enough discussion on it.
Only recently we heard that there is intention to put the library on the location of the current working facility of Menlo
Children’s Center and After Care programs. Those child-care programs have been serving thousands of children 18 months through 5th
grade (after school) over the years. Is a new mega-library really more necessary than child-care in Menlo Park?
A needs assessment that was done in 2017 by San Mateo County shows that there is a huge need (up three-fold for Infant care from
2009 and up by almost ten-fold for Preschool age kids from 2009). The San Mateo county report shows that in Menlo Park there is a
current shortage of 322 spots for infant care, 456 spots of preschool kids, and 692 of after-school spots. You can see the full
report here:
http://www.smcoe.org/assets/files/learning-and-leadership/child-care-partnership-council/Needs%20Assessment%202017/CCPC_Needs_Assessment_Menlo_Park_11-17.pdf
[http://www.smcoe.org/assets/files/learning-and-leadership/child-care-partnership-council/Needs%20Assessment%202017/CCPC_Needs_Assessment_Menlo_Park_11-17.pdf]
Child care is an essential NEED. It is not a "nice to have" library to spend time at your leisure. Child care shortage impacts
parents’ employment opportunities. Affordable, high quality child care is a solution to workforce issues such as work-life
balance, absenteeism, employee retention, and productivity. Having local solutions mitigates traffic problems, which Menlo Park
has plenty of recently, and more expected as more affordable housing is built that will attract more young families to our area.
The San Mateo child assessment report from 2017 also addresses the two key barriers to expansion:
- Lack of suitable facilities space and
- Lack of qualified teaching staff
MCC gives an answer to that pressing need. Removing it to build instead a questionably needed mega-library, and even suggesting to
add MORE affordable housing on top, will only make the child-care needs more severe. If anything, child care should be expanded on
this location. This was actually already approved by voters in 2001, when Measure T was passed with a 70 percent approval that
called for in an advisory recreation master plan. A new state-of-the art child care center was one of the projects that were
highlighted in the campaign to pass Measure T. "I think we're committed to providing child care services, and we're committed to
providing them in that location (Burgess)," said Councilman Paul Collacchi. "I must've told 500 people" when campaigning for
Measure T, and "I have no plans to change that," he said. Unfortunately, this was later thwarted and a much smaller facility was
renovated instead. But at least it gives some answer to desperately seeking parents.
I am urging the council members to prioritize the needs of Menlo Park residents. It will be greatly appreciated, respected, and
valued.
Respectfully,
Osnat Loewenthal
Parent at MCC, Menlo Park
