Mountain View baseball field doubles as flood basin
Photo: Valley Water (SCVWD)
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. - A baseball field and community park complex that doubles as a flood protection basin for the adjacent Permanente Creek will be celebrated Saturday by the Santa Clara Valley Water District, the city of Mountain View and Mountain View Little League.
The $89 million Permanente Creek Flood Protection Project will provide flood protection for roughly 2,200 properties downstream in Mountain View and Los Altos by acting as a reserve basin when the creek floods, according to the water district. Funding for the project came from 2012's Measure B, which enacted a parcel tax that will bring in an estimated $548 million by 2028.
"Permanente Creek has a long history of flooding, having experienced major flooding on at least 11 occasions, most recently in 1998," water district Director Gary Kremen said. "Flooding can result in several millions of dollars in damage to homes, businesses and schools, so this project also reduces flood risk to those without flood insurance."
The project's McKelvey and Schaefer parks include a pair of baseball fields, a community room, enhanced playground areas, terraced bleachers, a concessions stand, a scorekeeper's booth, storage areas and restrooms. The fields were built below the creek's water level, according to the district, to ensure overflowing water diverts to them rather than the park's surrounding neighborhoods.
District and city officials and Mountain View Little League teams will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony and community celebration to mark the project's completion. Little leaguers will also throw a ceremonial first pitch to christen the new baseball fields.
The events will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday at McKelvey Park, located at 930 Miramonte Ave.