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Published on 04/28/1999 All articles from this issue

Good weather boosts park construction

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By Joanne Griffith Domingue / Town Crier Staff Writer

As the warm days have ushered in thoughts of picnics and parks, so too have they created perfect conditions for building those parks.

Construction at two new Los Altos city recreation areas - at the corner of Edith Avenue and San Antonio Road downtown and at 401 Rosita Avenue near El Monte Avenue and Cuesta Drive - is booming.

"Now that we have the nice weather, we're making good progress," said Jessie Peralez, site foreman with the Cupertino-based Jensen Corporation at the 401 Rosita location. "The rain slowed us down considerably, and we lost a couple of weeks," he said.

At the Rosita site workers are installing four acres of turf for playing fields that should be ready by Sept. 1, "the beginning of soccer season," said Bruce Bane, Los Altos director of public works.

The Rosita site buzzed with activity last Thursday morning. Workers were picking up rocks, plus "cement and pieces of re-bar from the old buildings," Peralez said.

Pieces of white PVC pipe, standing 18 inches above the moist ground, marked sprinkler heads across the tilled soil.

In the rear southeast corner, workers were installing a drainage swale so run-off from the fields wouldn't flood neighboring yards, Peralez said. This rear corner is nine feet lower than the northwest corner at the front of the property.

At the half-acre Edith/San Antonio site across from city hall, workers spread and rolled the ochre-colored decomposed granite pathways. Ten wooden garden benches, four along curved pathways, six in a patio seating area at the front corner, have been recently installed.

Carol McKee, with Los Altos park maintenance, waited at the Edith/San Antonio site for a delivery of "Oliver's mix," a special soil for rhododendron, azaleas and camellias that will be planted under the redwood trees in a corner along Edith Avenue.

That mix "is the best environment for the plants," she said. Workers expect to be planting the grasses any day. In the large areas, they will hydro-seed some meadow grass. In other areas, turf will be seeded.

Completion date for the park is about May 1, said Bob Rayl, Los Altos recreation director. Then there's a 90-day maintenance agreement before the city takes possession, he said, while the city makes sure the plants all survive.

The city has invited residents to submit names for the two parks. Park names must be no more than three words, with "park" being the last word. Send park names to Bob Rayl, Recreation Director, 97 Hillview Ave., Los Altos. 94022. All people sending in a name must provide their name and address. Deadline for submittals is May 14.