Menlo Park City Council Members:
Today Menlo Park is hosting an "Input Sought on Adding Housing to Menlo Park",- "The Almanac" August 14, 2021. You may have read the "letters to the Editor" from the latest "Almanac",
According to the July 2 issue of The Almanac ("SRI redevelopers to host community meetings"), SRI will be having discussions as to the development of the SRI property.
The Peninsula is being drowned, overpowered, enslaved with compact housing and office space. We don't need more jobs, and especially people. It is time to get back to basics.
There have been many articles about children not receiving the one nutritious meal a day schools were providing. Where does our food come from these days? How far does it have to travel? What is its quality?
Why not take the SRI property and turn it into a place of sustainability, education, independence and tranquility? Many people would love to have a place to grow some of their food. Put in organic community gardens. These gardens need fertile soil. Include a few small animals. Goats could provide milk for those who can't afford milk — and be used to keep fire danger down in the community (by) eating brush, and bring a sense of calm to people who wish to enjoy their company.
A low-profile solar photovoltaic system could be added to provide electric power to the local community.
The homeless, low income and students from Menlo-Atherton High School could play a big part in preparing and maintaining this project. The local community would receive fresh organic food, fresh milk, some safety from fires, electricity, education, and a place to visit for a sense of calm and peace.
Jackie Leonard-Dimmick
Walnut Avenue, Atherton
When was the last time council members have taken the train from San Fransico to San Jose? From Menlo Park to the Lawrance Station, there is nothing but apartment complexes. How many of the residents of these complexes use the train for their transportation? I have been on the train 5 days a week, at different times. There may be as many as 5 people in one car. Half of the cars are empty. Most of these apartments are unaffordable for those people that the community is told they are being built for.
We have had one and a half years of Covid - 19, three years of wild fires, years of drought, violence, non-domesticated animals coming into our yards, and of course the continuance of climate change and its many disastrous effects. Is it possible these experiences are telling us it is time to stop trying to squeeze an infinite amount of people into a finite amount of space, at work, at school, and at home? We all need room to breathe and to express the infinite qualities of LIFE we have freely been given..
Thank you for your consideration on these ideas,
Jackie Leonard-Dimmick
