City Council Members:

I know you will be talking about the Quiet Zone and next steps at the upcoming Council Meeting on Tuesday and I wanted to voice my opinion in advance of that session.

I am a five year resident in the Park Forest neighborhood but was a 15 year resident of Atherton before moving to Menlo Park. I am a board member of our Homeowners Association, and we have discussed the noise situation within our Association for a number of years. On behalf of our board, I would like to strongly encourage the Council to give serious attention to creating a Quiet Zone within the four Caltrain crossings within Menlo Park, even if it means seeking contributions from or taxing residents and business establishments (e.g., including hotels and restaurants) that are situated near by the train tracks to afford/subsidize building the crossing infrastructure required by the regulatory authority (the Public Utility Commission).

The sound that the trains make, particularly during the evening and early mornings are especially disruptive and annoying. We do not live in Menlo Park for the “urban experience.” Moreover, we have a number of elderly and families with young children in our HOA and general neighborhood that are particularly sensitive to loud noise, such as a train whistle at 11pm and 6am. Additionally, you have a benchmark in neighboring Atherton as they were able to secure a Quiet Zone for a part of their community. If they can do it, why can’t Menlo Park?

Should you want to speak to impacted residents as part of your investigation and analysis of this potential initiative, we would be glad to organize our neighborhood for a “focus group” or Council member fact-finding session. Please contact me directly and our board will make it happen.

Thank you very much for your consideration and special attention to this matter and to reducing unnecessary noise within our community to maintain, if not enhance, our quality of life.


Cheers
Scott Barnum
137 Stone Pine Lane
Menlo Park, CA 94025
microbarny@msn.com
650-224-5671 (m)
Park Forest HOA I