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The City Council is scheduled to vote this evening on a conceptual plan for McKelvey Park which would lower the entire park 15 feet below ground level in order to create a basin for flood control.
Last August council members made comments in support of the project, which was put forth by the Santa Clara Valley Water District as part of its larger plan to protect 2,250 homes in Mountain View from a “100-year flood” from the overflowing banks of Permanente Creek. If implemented, the district’s plan would save homeowners in designated areas from having to buy flood insurance.
New baseball fields and possibly a playground are proposed for McKelvey Park on Miramonte Avenue, which is now used almost exclusively for Little League baseball. The Water District would pay for the entire project, including those improvements, with a bond voters approved in 2000.
In a recent closed meeting, the council considered buying several unfinished homes on adjacent Mountain View Avenue to extend the park, which may have allowed for a wider range of park uses, but decided not to.
The Water District also wants to build flood basins at Cuesta Annex in Mountain View, at Blach Middle School in Los Altos, and at Rancho San Antonio Park, which sits in the hills above Cupertino and Los Altos on Santa Clara County land.
Tonight’s meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. in the council chambers at City Hall, 500 Castro Street, Mountain View.
I don’t plan on showing up at the council meeting, but I hope those bozos have enough sense to skip this expenditure. Homeowners in a flood zone can either buy insurance or self insure. If it were me, I might take my chances. However, why should the City dig a huge hole to catch some rainfall? Let it run to the bay and let the Little Leaguers play on their existing fields. Give me a break from this nonsense.
I guess it was obvious to me, but this just seems like the proverbial hole that you just throw money into. Skip it MV.
So, what did the299crew suggest we do with money that’s budgeted specifically for floor control?
I think the whole point is that right now, in a 1% flood, water will not “run to the bay” fast enough to avoid flooding a large part of downtown Mountain View, including a large swath of El Camino Real. This would affect a lot of people, even those who don’t live in the flood plain. Many people work there or travel through it.
Why don’t they just build an Ark? It would be a monument to the stupidity of modern government.
Just stick a pipe in the ground and run the flood to the tank under Graham Middle Schools holding tank. Of course if it’s full, you’re hosed.
This is a huge waste of money at this time. And by the way, if the district has the cash from 2000, how about giving it back?
Or how about free water until all the money from that bond runs out?
I didn’t vote for this crap.
I think this would be a good opportunity for Mountain View to have a redesigned park space, without having to reach into its own coffers to fund. The Water District will be funding all the work, and the City can leverage the Water District’s desire to build this to specify what improvements will be made at the site.
We have precedent for doing these types of projects. The green space for Graham Middle School was totally redone, when Mountain View Public works installed a new underground water storage tank a couple of years ago. At the time, the school district negotiated with the City to have it pay for all the improvements to the playing fields. If you compare the condition of Graham’s green space now, and what it was before that project, it was night and day. And with no expense to the School District.
Also, its important to note that with the relatively flat elevation of the City of Mountain View, its likely a 100 year flood will affect more than just a few homes in the vicinity of the flood basin, so this project is beneficial to the City as a whole.
“Just stick a pipe in the ground and run the flood to the tank under Graham Middle Schools holding tank. Of course if it’s full, you’re hosed.”
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Um, you’d be hosed in more than ways than you’ve anticipated. The holding tank at Graham is used to store potable water for the City, to be used for emergencies or when the City’s growth requires the additional capacity.
Are you suggesting to contaminate the City’s emergency drinking water supply with non-potable flood water?
Just because some other area agency is paying for a project like this out of its budget rather than a City of Mountain View budget does not mean we residents are not paying for it. I guess I would say to the Doc, give us our money back in this case. Maybe an idea like that voiced by Mike to offset the high cost of water is the best thing. Spend less, be happy.
Er, but it’s NOT your money. The funds the Valley Water District will be using for this project comes in part from the sale of bonds approved by the voters of Santa Clara county in 2000. As long as its being used for it intended purpose, this money isn’t ours for us to say specifically how its spent. Alot of what the Water District does is maintenance and projects to PREVENT flooding, as part of its water management duties.
And spending less isn’t a pearl of wisdom to be taken to extremes without considering the consequences on a case by case basis. Being penny wise and pound foolish comes to mind. Whatever funds are saved by the Water District will be less than the costs in damage a major flood incident will have to the City and residents, if it were to occur.
Let’s put it this way, the Water District has determined that its worth spending their budgeted money to mitigate flood issues for Mountain View. I don’t see an ulterior motive here that makes this a bad deal for the City.
Getting new park and recreational spaces at McKelvey park is just icing on the cake.
Seldon’s hit the nail on the head.
This one’s win-win.
Exactly correct Seldon. The water district is going to spend the money (millions) somewhere. Better to spend in Mtn View. There is no downside here. We get protection, new fields, it’s a win-win. This is a no brainer.