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Community Interest
City Celebrates Toddler Playground, Adult Lounge
Spanning the generations, Redwood City celebrated both the grand reopening
of the Fair Oaks Community Center toddler playground and the inauguration
of its new adult activity center lounge.
The new playground was completely redesigned with a new sand area,
a wider area for tricycles, more play space and new play equipment. The
playground is overseen and operated by the Redwood City Child Development
Program and funded with Redwood City capital improvement funds.
The adult lounge was created by converting several units of offices into
a large space with a “living room” feel for older adults. It contains lounge
chairs and sofas, tables for reading or games, brand-new bookshelves stocked
with books, new lighting, artwork on the walls and plants. The lounge
is a partnership between the city, nonprofit Rebuilding Together, Roche
Molecular Systems, Supple Homes Inc., Peninsula Family Service — which
operates the Fair Oaks Adult Activity Center — and a private donor.
The ribbon cutting featured County Supervisor Don Horsley and Redwood
City Vice Mayor Alicia Aguirre, along with adults and toddlers.
Redwood City Hires New HR Head
Redwood City has hired Rebecca Burnside as its new human resources
director, filling the vacancy left when Bob Bell was appointed city manager.
Burnside, who most recently served as director of human resources and
risk management for Foster City, begins with Redwood City Aug. 22. She
will earn an annual salary of $179,724.
Bell lauded Burnside, who he said has a wide range of experience, talent and
knowledge. “I know she’ll excel as a crucial member of our executive team,” Bell
said in a prepared statement. Burnside called Redwood City “a great fit for me.”
Burnside has a law degree from Tulane Law School and a Bachelor of Science
in general management/industrial relations from the University of Minnesota.
The Human Resources Department handles recruitment, organization and employee
development, benefits administration, workers’ compensation, performance
management and personnel systems management among other functions.
City Hires Community Development Director
Redwood City has hired a community development director to oversee
several key functions, helping officials manage land use and balance
increased service demands with dwindling resources.
Bill Ekern most recently served as director of special projects/project
management for the San Jose Redevelopment Agency and has more than 25
years of experience in city management. Ekern’s first day was Aug. 1 and he
will earn $185,000 annually plus benefits.
City Manager Bob Bell lauded Ekern’s experience and said officials are
“thrilled” to have him join the city. Ekern returned the accolades, calling
Redwood City “an unprecedented opportunity for me,” in a prepared statement.
The Community Development Department includes planning, housing,
redevelopment, building, engineering and transportation. Ekern’s role will be
managing development and land use matters. He will also work with the City
Council and Planning Commission, said city spokesman Malcolm Smith.
Although the city created Ekern’s position, it also moved two director jobs
back to division manager level. One department head, Ekern, will be better
able to oversee and coordinate the functions of different divisions involved in
the same projects and initiatives, Smith said.
Ekern has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of California
at Davis and a master’s degree in public administration from San Jose State University.
More Street Work Planned for Redwood City
Motorists in Redwood City should prepare for slowed traffic, detours, parking
restrictions and even a little bit of dust as the city embarks on a slew of
neighborhood street improvements through the rest of summer.
The city recently announced grant-funded resurfacing projects on
Veterans Boulevard and East Bayshore Road. This second set of preventive
maintenance is scheduled to begin mid-July and run through September.
If possible, drivers should consider alternative routes to minimize or avoid
traffic delays. They should also expect periodic lane closures, detours and
periods during which no vehicles are allowed. Work hours are 7:30 a.m. to 4
p.m., with streets typically reopened by 5 p.m.
While the city will try to minimize the impact, some inconvenience is
unavoidable, spokesman Malcolm Smith said in a prepared statement.
The work consists of two phases, preparation and either slurry seal or
overlay. Where slurry seal is used, streets may be closed up to four hours to
let the sand and oil mixture dry. During that time, residents are urged to keep
cars, children and pets away as the material can be difficult to remove from
rugs, clothing and fur.
A 2-inch layer of new asphalt laid on top of the existing road will also
require traffic controls.
Streets scheduled for slurry seal are: Blomquist Street from Maple Street
to Seaport Boulevard, Broadway from Hopkins Avenue to El Camino Real,
Broadway from Woodside Road to Charter Street, Canyon Road (off-street
parking areas only), Charter Street from Middlefield Road to Broadway,
Chesapeake Drive from Seaport Boulevard to Saginaw Drive, Galveston
Drive from Pendescot Drive to Chesapeake Drive, Hudson Street from
Whipple Avenue to Woodside Road, James Avenue from St. Francis Street
to Sequoia Station, Maple Street from Highway 101 to Blomquist Street,
Marlin Court from end to end, Marlin Drive from Marlin Court to Redwood
Shores Parkway, Marshall Street from Arguello to Main streets, Middlefield
Road from Woodside Road to Pacific Avenue, Pendescot Drive from Saginaw
Drive to the cul-de-sac, Redwood Avenue from Fairview Avenue to Hudson
Street, Saginaw Drive from Chesapeake Drive to the cul-de-sac, Seaport
Boulevard from Highway 101 to Seaport Court, Seaport Boulevard (two-lane
section) from Seaport Court to the end, Seaport Boulevard (four-lane section)
from Seaport Court to Pacific Shores Center, and Valota Road from Jefferson
Avenue to Woodside Road.
Streets scheduled for overlay work are: Broadway from Chestnut Street
to Woodside Road, Connecticut Drive from Carson Street to Massachusetts
Avenue, East Bayshore Boulevard from Whipple Avenue to Bair Island Road,
Kentfield Avenue from Redwood Avenue to Woodside Road, Laurel Street
from El Camino Real to Hancock Street, McGarvey Avenue from Farm Hill
Boulevard to Roosevelt Avenue, and Westgate Street from Hopkins Avenue to
Alameda de las Pulgas.
Moulton Named New Housing Head
Both the Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County and the Housing
Endowment and Regional Trust have named Mark Moulton their new executive director.
The two San Mateo County housing groups share staff but have separate
boards of directors. HEART raises money from public and private sources to
meet housing needs. The Housing Leadership Council works to increase the
housing supply at all levels of affordability.
Moulton is the founding executive director of Redwood City–based Living
City Partners, which builds affordable multi-unit housing for low-income
families, and served more than 10 years as the founding executive director at
Peninsula Habitat for Humanity. While there, the organization grew to a staff
of 15 with a $3.5 million annual budget.
Moulton also volunteers with the Nonprofit Center of San Mateo County,
Sustainable San Mateo County and Concentric Media. He helped found the
Housing Leadership Council in 2001, serving as a past board president and
fund development committee chair.
“[Moulton] combines a deep knowledge of fund development, community
outreach and alliance building with a passion for building affordable housing
for San Mateo County’s young families, workforce and seniors,” said County
Supervisor Rose Jacobs Gibson, HEART board chair, in a prepared statement.
Andrea Papanastassiou and Melissa Platte, co-chairs of the Housing
Leadership Council, echoed the sentiment and said Moulton will add strength
and growth to their organization.
Moulton fills the vacancy left when Chris Mohr left the position after eight
years to relocate his family to Pennsylvania.
(continues on page 19)
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