I write this as the sun is shining brightly through my windows. I hope you are enjoying the lovely weather now that the storms have passed.
In an effort to enhance my accessibility to community members, I have set up weekly online and quarterly in-person office hours. For more information about these, please visit https://jenwolosin.com/office-hours. As always, feel free to reach out anytime.
And best wishes to all celebrating Chinese New Year today. May you have a prosperous Year of the Rabbit.
This item contains an update (as of December 31, 2022) of City Council priorities and requested work. For those tracking specific projects, the attachments to this staff report have the most up to date progress information. Please note that the City Council will be updating its priorities in anticipation of the next fiscal year (starting July 1, 2023) at an upcoming goal setting meeting. Staff is preparing an information item for the February 14th meeting that will contain an update about the 2023 goal setting process and timeline. Stay tuned.
Many beloved Menlo Park buildings and facilities are named after former members of our community who made major contributions to the City. In this item, Staff is seeking City Council direction on potential revisions to the existing Council procedure for naming facilities and direction regarding the process to be used for the naming and/or dedication of the currently under construction Menlo Park Community Campus and its various components.
Agenda Item H2 is an Informational Item provided in advance of a scheduled City Council action item at the February 14th meeting. The staff report and attachments detail three options for bike lanes:
Pilot parking removal of both sides
Remove parking from one side
Remove parking on both sides, except in high need areas
The project webpage will be updated ahead of the February 14th meeting.
This informational item provides updates about the Menlo Park Community Campus (MPCC) project (shown above under construction, and as a rendering in its final form), including:
Upcoming project budget enhancement requests
Project cost escalation
Project timeline
Preliminary considerations for MPCC staffing and operations
Facility naming policy, process and timeline (also see Agenda Item G1 above)
Swimming pool air source heat pumps and nose ordinance variance
Parking management plan
Aquatics operator selection
Note that the projected is now anticipated to be completed in 2024.
This item transmits information on the number of staff vacancies and related recruitment activities. As of December 31, 2022, the number of full time employees (FTEs) authorized in the budget year was 285.5. Due to challenges with hiring and retention, seen throughout the region and the nation, the City has a 17% vacancy rate with 47.75 unfilled positions. The chart above shows the status of the open positions, by department. Given the staff shortages, I continued to be impressed by our current staff in their ability to get work done and keep up the excellent level of service that our community expects.
Other Items of Interest
Below are some additional items of interest.
Parkline (SRI) Study Session at the Planning Commission
Monday, January 23rd at 7pm Continued from December 12th
Tomorrow (January 23rd) night's Planning Commission meeting will include a Study Session on the Parkline (SRI) Project. The staff report for the item can be accessed here.
Save the Date: January 31st at 6pm
Special City Council Meeting about the Housing Element
Environmental Justice and Safety Element Community Meetings
February 9th in English and February 10th in Spanish
In addition to the Housing Element, the City of Menlo Park is updating its General Plan Safety Element and preparing a new Environmental Justice Element. The City is holding meetings to present the draft elements and to provide the community the opportunity to come and give their opinions about the environment, health and safety in Menlo Park.
Food and gift cards will be provided to attendees at the meeting.
Jen's Office Hours Weekly Online - Fridays at Noon
Quarterly In-Person - Next One is Saturday, January 28th at 10am
As I mentioned in my intro at the top of this email, I will be holding weekly online office hours on Fridays at 12pm via Zoom, and quarterly in-person office hours (my first one will be on Saturday, January 28th at 10am at Cafe Borrone). To learn more visit https://jenwolosin.com/office-hours. If you'd like to set up a time to talk outside of my official office hours, just let me know!
Assemblymember Marc Berman's District Open House Thursday, January 26th at 5pm
Assemblymember Marc Berman who represents California State Assembly District 23 will be holding an open house at his district office on Thursday, January 26th at 5pm. Guests are encouraged to share ideas, ask questions, and raise concerns about community and legislative matters. Refreshments will be provided (at no taxpayer expense) and parking is available onsite. To get more information and to RSVP, click here.
