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Councilman Cohen solo on no vote for Menlo Park’s new gym

By
Real Estate Broker/Owner with Menlo Atherton Realty 01109812

While the rest of the city council is eager to see Menlo Park’s new gymnasium erected, Councilman Andy Cohen stands firm that the council’s decision overlooked key concerns and chose the gym over library users.

 

 

In Menlo Park, the only person that stands between the new Burgess Park Gymnasium and the residents’ better well-being is Councilman Andy Cohen.

 

During a July 21 meeting, Mr. Cohen abstained to vote for the construction of the 50-foot-tall, 25,700-square-foot new gym. But instead of explaining his stand, he chose to give a closing statement, turned off his microphone and kept mum during the rest of the meeting.

 

The $18-million new gym will have two basketball and volleyball courts, five office areas, a meeting room, lockers and a storage area. Planning and approval of the project alone has taken two years, beginning in March 2007, based on a council report.  In April 2009, billionaire John Arrillaga volunteered to shoulder the rest of the gym’s construction costs beyond the city’s $6 million contribution .And recently, the city council has voted for the project’s approval amidst concerns about the resulting traffic and congestion problems. The gym is proposed to stand on the library’s parking area along Alma Street.

 

Critics also question the gym’s two basketball court-design, when the extra space can be used for parking by library users. Based on the plan six parking lots will be available for gym and library users once the gym opens. The city reports exploring the use of SRI International Inc.’s parking lot to accommodate parking overflow during nights and weekends.

 

Beyond the use of space debate, the new gym must push through because the community has been waiting for years for a decent and well-equipped facility, and there shouldn’t be another reason to make us wait any longer. To see a councilman who cannot overlook traffic problems for the various benefits a new gym offers is disappointing. More so is his lack of ability to rationalize his position.

 

Mr. Cohen’s courage to stand by his belief despite an overwhelming opposition deserves to be applauded, but choosing to keep silent takes away what leaves to be admired in his action. Wouldn’t those whom he represents opted to let their reasons be heard rather than sulk during the meeting? He wasted the opportunity to enlighten the council of his position.

 

But he did try to make up for the lost opportunity by explaining to the media in an interview that though he was grateful for Arrillaga’s donation, he felt the council overlooked the people’s welfare after being “blinded” by the million-dollar donation, thereby ignoring the project’s resulting problems. Mr. Cohen also believed that the council’s stand on the proposed gym chooses athletes over library users, a view that echoes the outcry of library patrons.

 

However, Mr. Cohen also fails to see the multitude of benefits that comes with a new and topnotch gym.  Residents will have better facilities and better options to stay fit and healthy. More kids can engage in sports. Overall, a new gym gives Menlo Park residents a chance to improve their wellbeing, while an open parking space gives us just that — open space for vehicles — when there are other nearby available parking space.

 

Despite Mr. Cohen’s hyped solo opposition, at the end of the day the council approved the proposal to build the new gym. What a relief this is because Menlo Park residents deserve a well-equipped gymnasium and no one man should stand in the way destiny.

 

 

Here are links some links of interest:

Architectural Plans & Renderings

City Council Report

 

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