City prioritizes projects City prioritizes projects (May 30, 2003)

Golf shop, senior center, Stevens Creek Trail at top of list

By Candice Shih

Working to prioritize city infrastructure improvements in the midst of fiscal turmoil, the city council this week put a new senior center, additions to the Stevens Creek Trail, and renovation of the Shoreline golf shop at the top of a list of projects to update city facilities.

The new capital improvement plan, approved Tuesday, aims to address the most pressing projects as soon as possible, moving such publicly debated facilities as a Shoreline BMX park and a new community center off the immediate to-do list.

According to a city staff report, the Shoreline Golf Links pro shop is aged and inadequate in size, and a new facility is needed to house 78 electric golf carts. These improvements are estimated to total $3.4 million in cost.

The Stevens Creek Trail is next scheduled to reach Mountain View High School at Bryant Avenue from Yuba Drive, although priority will be on the portion that will cross El Camino Real, possibly from underground. In addition, an overcrossing for the trail at Moffett Boulevard will be worked on.

The city also plans to conduct a feasibility study on building a pedestrian/bike overcrossing at Permanente Creek and Highway 101 next year.

Other significant projects the city will undertake in coming years include the construction of a permanent Fire Station No. 5, construction of a four-to-eight-million-gallon reservoir under Graham Middle School's playing fields, and designating a use for the Centennial Plaza train station.

Caltrain has asked if the train station could be used as a service center for the coming "baby bullet" train, a sign that Mountain View could be chosen as a stop, said public works director Cathy Lazarus.

In addition to the BMX park and community center, the construction of Sierra Vista Park was deferred to a later date.

E-mail Candice Shih at cshih@mv-voice.com