Special to the Town Crier
The latest batch of personalized bricks are now cemented in the Community Plaza in downtown Los Altos, and a Los Altos schools playing fields project is $10,000 richer.
The brick purchases cap a $90,000 project to improve fields at Blach and Egan intermediate schools in Los Altos. The project combined the efforts of the Los Altos Rotary Club and other service groups, the City of Los Altos and user groups, such as Little League, that use the fields.
In September 1996, city officials, the Los Altos School District and the sports user groups agreed to form a Schools Fields Task Force. Members determined approximately $90,000 was needed to upgrade the playing fields.
The City of Los Altos agreed to contribute $30,000 towards the cost of a lawn mower, sprinkler system upgrades and one-time field repairs. The sports user groups contributed another $30,000 for the initial and ongoing maintenance expenses.
The remaining $30,000 was achieved through a two-tiered fund-raising effort by community service organizations. The Los Altos Rotary Club spearheaded the effort to raise the additional money to fund the project.
A major donor, The Packard Foundation, contributed $10,000. Additional funding was received from the Los Altos Rotary Club, the Sertoma Club, the Los Altos Community Foundation and the Los Altos Kiwanis Club, totaling $10,000. The remaining $10,000 came through Rotary members selling personalized bricks in the plaza, located at Main and State streets.