Flood Park Reopened

After a 13-month closure, Flood County Park in Menlo Park opened Saturday afternoon with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and celebration, San Mateo County officials said.

The 21-acre park had been closed since fall 2010, county officials said, to repair and replace water supply pipelines.

Aside from the park's petanque court and baseball diamond, all park facilities are open and ready for use, including the seven picnic areas, play structure, horseshoe pits, and volleyball and tennis courts.

The opening celebration was free and was attended by Assemblyman Rich Gordon, D-Menlo Park, and other local politicians. After the ribbon-cutting, park group Friends of Flood Park hosted family-friendly activities until 3 p.m., including live music, face painting and a scavenger hunt highlighting the park's history and flora and fauna.

Officials said the annual cost to operate the park is about $374,201 and in the face of funding shortages the county is working to keep the park reopened into the next year. Park officials are working with the Board of Supervisors and looking into moving .

The city's Parks and Recreation Commission will discuss that topic at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, November 16, in Elm Room of the Arrillaga Family Recreation Center. You can read the staff report prepared by city employees here in advance of that.

The park is located at 215 Bay Road in Menlo Park.


--Bay City News contributed to this report.