Hello distinguished members of Menlo Park's City Council, I write to all of you regarding the ESSENTIAL HUMAN SERVICES of BELLE HAVEN'S program, and my deep hope that these programs will be preserved in their entirety. I understand the rigors and demands of a complex budget planning process - I've been a businessman for decades (including the business development manager of Hawaii's largest general contractor with annual revenue of $450 million and most recently the sales director at Palo Alto's senior living community, Webster House). And I also, as do you, understand the INESTIMABLE VALUE provided our community residents - especially our more vulnerable populations of children and seniors - by programs that are wisely already existing, thriving, and contributing on A DAILY BASIS. I have studied the MPSC - Menlo Park Senior Center - planned programmatic and design changes as favored by FACEBOOK and a VERY LIMITED NUMBER OF MP RESIDENTS, and would offer these thoughts: 1. The trade-off and value balance between existing and essential services AND Facebook's (one of the most powerful, formidable, wealthy, and self-interested companies in the world) strongly suggests that essential, existing human services be preserved - let RICH and POWERFUL FACEBOOK come up with a more just, fair, and humane solution that they are eminently capable of producing and resolving than are OUR COMMUNITY RESIDENTS. It's DAVID + GOLIATH, and it doesn't need to be this FACE-OFF. 2. I have worked for years caring for and caring about seniors (companion caregiver and 4 years in senior sales positions at amazing senior living communities in Palo Alto, Los Gatos, and Healdsburg), and I know the INVALUABLE SERVICES that MPSC provides. 3. FACEBOOK likely won't need all the space they thought they would, given the pandemic's revelation about workers working from home. 4. Also, FACEBOOK's design and planning for relocating the senior services from MPSC to another temporary location until their new and INSUFFICIENT, ILL-DESIGNED, ILL-CONCEIVED REPLACEMENT SENIOR CENTER can be completed. I won't go on. I know you are all very busy, AND I know you NOW UNDERSTAND my respectful message and petition to each of you. PLEASE DO THE FAIR, JUST, REASONABLE, AND MORAL thing and maintain MPSC in its CURRENT LOCATION and continue providing the ESSENTIAL SERVICES described herein. Many thanks to all of you for YOUR DEDICATION AND DILIGENCE in maintaining our THRIVING MENLO PARK COMMUNITY. Stay safe and be well! Kirt Palo Alto, CA Received on Mon Jun 15 2020 - 17:04:30 PDT
