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Toxin-free park experiment continues in Menlo Park

Palo Alto Daily News - 6/8/2017

June 08--The Menlo Park City Council this week re-upped an experiment to keep toxins out of weed abatement at four city parks.

The council approved the herbicide-free park experiment Aug. 25, 2015 at Stanford Hills Park, Fremont Park, Willow Oaks Park and Bedwell Bayfront Park for two years at a cost of $128,550.

On Tuesday, the council unanimously authorized $30,000 for the program to continue at three of the parks while the city looks into possibly expanding the program to the city's other 13 parks and three facility grounds, including Burgess Park and the Civic Center. It also authorized $300,000 toward expanding the program to additional parks. Bedwell Bayfront Park will also continue the herbicide-free trial, but it will be paid through an existing fund. Councilmen Rich Cline and Ray Mueller were absent from the meeting.

Staff had requested $450,000 for the study, but the council went with the lower figure, at the prodding of Mayor Pro Tem Peter Ohtaki.

"I'm not comfortable with $450,000 (but) recognizing we want to start in the fall, I would like to put a little bit of capital into it," Ohtaki said.

When asked if $300,000 would be enough, Public Works Director Justin Murphy said staff hasn't yet analyzed potential options. Staff was just trying to get the program into the 2017-18 budget before it was finalized, he added. Herbicide-free weed abatement is more expensive because it requires considerably more staff time.

"The work to be done would be done in wintertime, before spring growth, so we think we've timed it well," Murphy said.

The city is not planning to expand the program to sports fields the city maintains on school grounds, including La Entrada, Oak Knoll, Hillview, Willow Oaks, Menlo Oaks, Alto and Belle Haven Elementary. It also wouldn't extend to Flood Park, which is in city limits but maintained by the county.

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(c)2017 the Palo Alto Daily News (Menlo Park, Calif.)

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