Dear Council,
I write to communicate my feelings and those of others in the community regarding the 600 block of Santa Cruz closure.
I believe that it is in the best interests of all age groups of the community to keep the closure permanent.
It has become a gathering spot on weekday afternoons and weekends for teenagers and younger to gather after school or during the weekends all day in a safe space that is safely accessible whether on foot or on a bicycle. Fremont Park serves a similar purpose for young and old as well, but is not as centrally located and is at the corners of two busy streets making ingress and egress unsafe relatively. The picnic benches and potted plants/ trees make it a friendly space although could be improved substantially to make it even more welcoming.
I often spend time with my 88 year old mother when coming to pick up her prescriptions, often we have to wait for them to be filled, we get a coffee/snack or meal to go and wait. We particularly enjoy when local youth musicians play and perform/sometimes with singing groups.
It is a place that has been sorely lacking and we should be thankful, kind of, for COVID alerting us to this space that had been lacking for so long in Menlo Park. An additional benefit is that the bike lane has done wonders in terms of safety that the Council has been addressing for a very long time.
Respectfully,
Scott
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Scott M. Robinson
Real Estate Broker
JD-MBA
