New restroom and shower buildings, improved campsites, a new wastewater treatment plant and wastewater collection system are among the projects set to improve the aging campground at Memorial Park in San Mateo County.
At the San Mateo County Park Commission meeting on Thursday, County Rangers Mario Nastari and Kevin O’Brien are scheduled to deliver a presentation updating the commission on ongoing improvements to the campgrounds, which last year served over 57,000 visitors during camping season.
Memorial Park campgrounds have been closed since Oct. 20 and will remain closed during the entire 2020 camping season as San Mateo County Parks moves forward with the first comprehensive improvement project for the park, which was dedicated on July 4, 1924. Memorial Park currently has 141 campsites, a visitor center, amphitheater, day use picnic areas and almost seven miles of hiking trails.
In preparation for the park’s 100-year anniversary in 2024, the County has begun a two-year-long infrastructure and building replacement effort. When campgrounds reopen in 2021, visitors will see seven new restroom and shower buildings in place of those constructed in the 1970s, the County said. ADA upgrades, paved drive aisles and parking lots, new barbecue pits, picnic benches, fire pits, and other campsite amenities are also part of the improvements, according to the County.
Currently, a new wastewater treatment plant is under construction and is expected to be completed in July next year. An “obsolete” wastewater collection system will be replaced.
All restroom and shower facilities that aren’t replaced during the 2020 closure are expected to be replaced before the 100-year anniversary, the County report states.
For more information, access the Commission agenda documents here or attend the commission meeting, which starts at 4 p.m. in Board Chambers at 400 County Center in Redwood City.
Above photo, shared on the San Mateo County Parks Facebook page, depicts the Memorial Park campsite, which was at full occupancy the night of the dedication for Memorial Park on Pescadero Creek in 1924. Photo courtesy of Gertrude Kuentzel Sorenson Collection/”San Mateo County Parks, A Remarkable Story of Extraordinary Places and the People Who Built Them”/San Mateo County Parks Foundation
