To whom it may concern,
My name is Jennifer Johnson. I was on the Parks and Rec Commission during the period of time that Nealon Park was being renovated. I also served on the Parks and Rec subcommittee for the renovation and worked closely with then director, Derek Schweigart, Brian Henry, and contractors from GameTime (the parent company of PlayCore) throughout this process. Careful thought and consideration was given to the layout of the playground based on many factors, and we met with the designers from GameTime several times. There were multiple outreach events, targeted mailings to neighbors of the park, a meeting dedicated to allowing local residents to vote on elements within the park, etc. To be very clear, the Parks and Parks and Rec departments did extensive outreach to the community and specifically to the neighbors of Nealon Park. Neighbors had every opportunity to lodge concerns at that point about this feature but did not. The only objection to proposed pieces of equipment were from neighbors who rejected the idea of certain musical elements which were subsequently removed from the playground design. At no time did any neighbor raise an objection to the zipline feature. This feature was specifically chosen as one that allows disabled and non-disabled children to play side-by- side. Inclusion and accessibility were a large focus of this park renovation and the reason that I, amongst others, urged Council to increase the budget for this playground renovation so that it could truly serve all residents in Menlo Park, a characteristic that no other playground in Menlo Park is able to do. It was immensely popular and allowed for inclusion in a way that most elements do not. I strongly reject the notion that this is not an element that should be included at a neighborhood playground. If any neighbors had raised objections, at the time of the planning, this feature almost certainly could have been relocated elsewhere.
It is entirely unfair to the children of Menlo Park to be denied the playground they were promised because 2 residents decided to complain after they had every opportunity to have their concerns addressed before the playground was built. Nealon Park is the only accessible playground in all of Menlo Park. The needs of all children, children with disabilities, parents and caregivers with disabilities need to be prioritized over those who ignored their opportunities to weigh in when it was timely. Further, when you purchase a home whose fence line is that of a neighborhood playground, there is an expectation that there will be more noise than if you purchased a home not adjacent to a playground. It is not fair to want to take advantage of the increased home values of being so close to a neighborhood park while, at the same time, trying to restrict the normal activities of that park. It is completely unreasonable to expect that this element be removed and replaced.
The fact that people are using the playground after hours has nothing to do with this element being in its current location. This is a matter of enforcement for the City and Police and not a reason to deactivate a popular and inclusive element.
If Council, Parks, or Parks and Rec wants to try to accommodate these late comers, they could consult with GameTime/PlayCore about a potential modification to the element that might dampen the noise. However, whether or not that is possible should not have an impact on the return of this element that was approved by votes in Parks, Parks and Rec, and Council. This is a playground, and the needs of all Menlo Park's children, with and without disabilities, to play together should be put before unreasonable demands of neighbors who had every opportunity for input prior.
I am requesting and expecting that I be notified of any communication on this issue and any meetings at which Nealon Park will be discussed.
Best,
Jennifer Johnson
"We must scrupulously guard the civil rights and civil liberties of all our citizens, whatever their background. We must remember that any oppression, any injustice, any hatred, is a wedge designed to attack our civilization." Franklin Delano Roosevelt
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: >
Date: Tue, Jul 20, 2021 at 4:29 PM
Subject: Nealon Park Transfer Ride Noise Problem
To: >, Betsy” >, Halleck, Bill H >, Henry, Brian P >, Pachmayer, Karen E >, “Christopher Harris” >, Dana Payne (danaolson12@gmail.com) >, “Jennifer Baskin” >, “Jennifer Johnson” >, Marc Bryman (mhbryman@gmail.com) >, Robert Bentley (robbentley2222@gmail.com) >, Sarah Staley Shenk (sarah@staleysash.com) >, >, >
Dear Menlo Park City Council:
It has come to my attention that the Transfer Ride at Nealon Park, which was closed last year due to excessive noise, is being worked on for reopening it for usage:
1. I believe MP city workers came last year and verified that the noise was loud and disruptive to neighbors and so they disabled this ride. So I wanted to ask if the assessment about the disruptive noise this equipment causes changed from the last time the MP city workers looked into it? Have any changes been made to the operation of the zipline?
2. The nighttime noise has gotten much worse since the new playground at Nealon Park was installed. Most nights we hear people playing in the park until 2 or 3am. It is hard to sleep with the loud noises coming from the park at night. It will be even more difficult to sleep and get work done during the day (for those working at home) if this zipline is re-installed.
I would like the Menlo Park City Council to look into this issue as this noise from the zipline is truly impacting us, and ideally remove those Transfer rides from Nealon Park and replace them with another playground equipment piece that does not make any noise.
Thank you,
Moshe Malkin
515 Morey Drive
