Climate Online

June 21, 2021 Community

After Covid, will outdoor dining remain in San Mateo County?

By Scott Dailey The pandemic is winding down on the Peninsula, and city leaders, restaurant owners and retailers find themselves… … Keep Reading

Construction on the long-awaited first phase of the Veterans Memorial Building/Senior Center-YMCA project at Red Morton Park in Redwood City is set to start in July and last about 24 months, according to city staff. The first phase of the project includes building a two-story, 45,000 square foot Veterans Memorial Building/Senior Center along Madison Avenue that features multipurpose rooms, a caterer and food demonstration kitchen, a 299-seat theater, exhibit space honoring veterans, NFL alumni exhibit space, pickle ball and half-court basketball gymnasium, wellness and adaptive physical education studios, rooftop garden and walking track, and various conferencing and administrative space for city staff and nonprofits, according to city documents. "The project also includes the construction of a public promenade connected to the park, a new east side senior center parking lot and traffic calming improvements on Madison and on Valota," the city said. On Monday, the City Council of Redwood City approved awarding the first-phase contract to Novato-based Thompson Builders Corp. for $51.1 million, with the option of increasing the contract amount by 10 percent if necessary. The City Council also approved the City the sale of bonds for up to 64.5 million to finance the first phase of construction. The second phase of the project will include construction of a new YMCA building, plus parking, and will be financed by the YMCA. Planning on the project has been the works for over a decade and was further delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Back in 2010, both the city, which has been operating out of aging Veterans Memorial Senior Center Campus buildings at Red Morton Park, and Sequoia YMCA, currently located on Hudson Street, expressed interest in upgrading their respective facilities, and ultimately decided to partner on a joint project at Red Morton Park. Since 2011, the City has embarked on reimagining the Veterans Memorial Senior Center Campus at Red Morton Park. There are a total of five separate buildings in the northern portion of the Park which includes the Veterans Memorial Senior Center (VMSC), the Gift Shop/VMSC Administration Building, the Senior Center Annex (“Old 49er Building”), the NFL Alumni Building, and Herkner Pool. All of these buildings are at various stages of decay, are inefficient in terms of energy usage, require significant maintenance obligations, and are inefficient to staff and for facility operations. The total project site for both phases is 5.4 acres along Madison Avenue. Red Morton Park encompasses 32 acres. Image rendering of future Veterans Memorial Senior Center Campus courtesy of the city

June 21, 2021 Community/Infrastructure

Redwood City announces construction start date for Veterans Memorial Building/Senior Center project

Monday, July 12, has been set as the start date for construction of Phase 1 of the Veterans Memorial Building/Senior… … Keep Reading

June 20, 2021 Community

Remembering the 1945 Navy plane crash in San Carlos hills

By Nicholas A. Veronico As Memorial Day fades into the past, I was saddened to see there was no remembrance… … Keep Reading

San Mateo to host Citywide Yard Sale for three days next month

June 18, 2021 Community

San Mateo Citywide Yard Sale returning in July

City of San Mateo officials have announced that the Annual Citywide Yard Sale is set for Sat., July 31 from… … Keep Reading

June 18, 2021 Community

A child’s life in the Sequoia Hotel

By Jim Clifford The Sequoia Hotel in downtown Redwood City became a historic landmark in 1981 when city officials designated… … Keep Reading

San Mateo to pay $450K settlement related to denial of housing project

June 18, 2021 Community

San Mateo City Council to decide on transition from at-large to district elections

The City of San Mateo appears headed toward a transition from an at-large system to a district-based system for electing… … Keep Reading

June 17, 2021 A&E/Community/Food

For over a century, The G.S. Haly Company has delivered America’s cup

America’s defining experience with tea importation set irate colonists on course for war—and turned generations into coffee drinkers. Tea, of… … Keep Reading

June 17, 2021 A&E/Community

Colorful 100-foot-long mural brightens downtown Redwood City

“Colorful” seems too tame a description for a 100-foot-long mural which was painted last month on the formerly blank wall… … Keep Reading

June 16, 2021 A&E/Community

Laurel Street outdoor dining program extended through Sept. 1, 2022

The outdoor dining program on Laurel Street in downtown San Carlos has been extended through Sept. 1, 2022. The extension… … Keep Reading

June 15, 2021 Community

Redwood City cat wins high-five honors

A Redwood City cat who was transformed by training from a gun-shy semi-feral into quite a pussycat has won top… … Keep Reading

June 2021 - page 3