Article Source:  San Bruno Communiy Foundation - CA

 
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
CONTACT: 
Leslie Hatamiya
Executive Director
O: (650) 763-0775 / M: (650) 922-1223
lhatamiya-sbcf@sanbruno.ca.gov
 
 
 
SAN BRUNO COMMUNITY FOUNDATION SUPPORTS DEVELOPMENT OF TURFED ATHLETIC FIELDS AT THE FORMER CRESTMOOR HIGH SCHOOL SITE WITH $3.4 MILLION GRANT TO THE CITY OF SAN BRUNO
 
Following Grants Funding San Bruno School District Athletic Field Improvements and the New San Bruno Recreation and Aquatic Center, Crestmoor Fields Grant is the Foundation’s Latest Investment in Recreation Facilities and Youth Sports Opportunities
 
 
San Bruno, California, December 12, 2024 – At its December 4, 2024, regular meeting, citing the tremendous benefits for the numerous children who play soccer in San Bruno and for the broader San Bruno community, the Board of Directors of the San Bruno Community Foundation awarded a $3.4 million strategic grant to the City of San Bruno to support the first phase of the Crestmoor Fields Project to develop athletic fields at the site of the former Crestmoor High School.    
 
Following the closure of Crestmoor High School in 1980, the grass fields on the site at the southern end of Courtland Avenue have served as the home of San Bruno’s active youth soccer community.  The San Mateo Union High School District is nearing completion of the sale of the former high school site to Summer Hill Homes LLC, which plans to transition the project to another developer – Toll Brothers – with approved plans to construct a new subdivision of single family homes and a land dedication to the City totaling 6.9 acres, including 5.3 acres for recreational athletic fields.  To address the impending need for field space for the hundreds of San Bruno youth who play soccer each year, the City has begun plans to begin the initial construction phase (Phase 1) of the Crestmoor Fields Multi Use Master Plan Project, which the San Bruno City Council reviewed in October 2023.  The developer has offered to construct the fields for the City as part of the development project via the execution of an improvement agreement with the City once the sale of the site is finalized.  
 
The City views an agreement with the developer as the most efficient and cost-effective method for completing Phase 1, which includes the essential field construction and infrastructure.  The use of an improvement agreement for new park development is not uncommon, especially for new parks where the land is being dedicated to a city.  Generally referred to as a “turnkey park” project, the developer builds the park to the satisfaction of the city and then turns the “keys” over for city ownership and ongoing maintenance.  A benefit of this arrangement is that the developer will manage the construction project, alleviating a significant amount of work for the City in an area that is generally outside its expertise.  Moving this development forward expeditiously also meets the local soccer community’s expressed interest in having the fields available for use as soon as possible after the current fields close.  With a very small window to secure additional funds by the end of 2024 to ensure the project is able to move forward with the developer, the City approached the Foundation with a request for grant funding this fall. 
 
The City’s estimated cost of construction for Phase 1 is currently $7 million.  In addition to the Foundation’s $3.4 million in grant funding, the City intends to allocate approximately $3.6 million in development impact fee credits for the development project on the site to the Phase 1 construction of the athletic fields. 
 
“The San Bruno Community Foundation is enthusiastically supportive of the City of San Bruno’s plans to construct new, artificially turfed athletic fields that will particularly benefit San Bruno’s vibrant youth soccer community,” said Malissa Netane-Jones, President of the Foundation’s Board of Directors.  “Partnering with the City to fund Phase 1 of the Crestmoor Fields Project is an ideal role for the Foundation, ensuring that the City is able to take full advantage of the valuable land dedication and the developer’s offer to expedite construction of the fields.  This new athletic field complex will help meet the outdoor recreational needs of San Bruno residents of all ages for decades to come.”
 
The City’s current plans for Phase 1 of the Crestmoor Fields Project include artificial turf fields consisting of eight striped, overlapping soccer fields; restroom; concrete pad and utility connections for use by mobile concession vendors; paved main parking lot with lighting; electrical conduit for the future installation of permanent lighting; park security fencing; stormwater bioretention facility; additional parking along Courtland Drive with a walking path; and various additional improvements, permitting, and all soft costs.  
 
Pending further approvals from the San Bruno City Council and the successful execution of the improvement agreement between the City and the developer, the City anticipates that construction on Phase 1 will begin in 2025.
 
“The City of San Bruno is very thankful for the San Bruno Community Foundation grant supporting construction of a new, modern athletic field complex at the former Crestmoor High School site,” said Darcy Smith, San Bruno Assistant City Manager.  “SBCF’s financial support is critical to ensuring that the City is able to move forward on this important project addressing the community’s demand for improved facilities for soccer and outdoor recreation in the most expedient timeframe possible.” 
 
The Crestmoor Fields Project Phase 1 grant is the Foundation’s latest investment in recreational facilities and programs in San Bruno.  In September, the Foundation Board awarded a $150,000 strategic grant to the San Bruno Education Foundation for much-needed athletic field improvements at three San Bruno Park School District schools – John Muir Elementary, Belle Air Elementary, and Parkside Intermediate – for the benefit of the schools’ students and the youth sports organizations who use them.  As the availability of the existing Crestmoor fields winds down as the developer prepares to begin construction of the new subdivision, youth soccer organizations are increasingly relying on school district fields for practices and games.  Most notably, as its most significant legacy project, the Foundation contributed $51.5 million to the design and construction of the new San Bruno Recreation and Aquatic Center (RAC) in San Bruno City Park, which had its Grand Opening in August.  The Foundation is also investing an additional $2.25 million over three years in startup programming and outreach activities at the RAC to help the City bridge the opening of the facility to full operations and allow the City to test various marketing, outreach, recruitment, scholarship, and other initiatives to encourage community members to use the facility and ensure that it generates sufficient revenues to sustain its operations for the ongoing benefit of the community.
 
To fund the Crestmoor Fields Project Phase 1 grant, the Foundation is utilizing a portion of the restitution funds resulting from the City of San Bruno’s settlement with Pacific Gas & Electric Company following the 2010 gas pipeline explosion that devastated San Bruno’s Crestmoor neighborhood.  
 
 
The San Bruno Community Foundation is the nonprofit organization created by the City of San Bruno to administer the $70 million in restitution funds received from PG&E after the devastating 2010 gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno’s Crestmoor neighborhood.  The Foundation serves the San Bruno community by investing in projects, programs, services, and facilities that have significant and lasting benefits. Through making grants, leveraging partnerships, and taking advantage of other resources, the SBCF assists and enables the community to maximize shared investments and realize their subsequent enhancements and benefits.
 
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