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Belmont Community Foundation says August ‘Imagine Together’ festival drew large turnout and boosted Barrett Community Center outreach
Summary
The Belmont Community Foundation reported strong community interest in the Barrett Community Center project after an August 9 festival that drew an estimated several hundred visitors and included site tours, a presentation of conceptual designs and community wellness activities.
Willow Ford, president of the Belmont Community Foundation, told the City Council on Sept. 9 that the Imagine Together Festival at the Barrett Community Center on Aug. 9 drew a large turnout and helped connect residents to the site and the project vision.
The event, which Ford said was organized with the City of Belmont’s Parks and Recreation Department, included vendor booths, wellness checks, a children’s play area, live music, site tours led by Parks and Recreation staff member Bridgette Shearer and an architects’ presentation of conceptual designs by Group 4. Ford said nearly 200 people attended the architects’ presentation and that festival volunteers ran ambassador stations to steer visitors to tours and the presentation. “At that presentation, there were nearly 200 people in the room,” Ford told the council.
The festival’s stated goals were to raise awareness of the Barrett Community Center’s current condition, show a vision for a revitalized site and offer a family-friendly, community-building event. Ford said outreach included printed graphics, social media, volunteer interns and close placement of food and craft vendors near Ralston Avenue to attract passersby. She described partnerships with Peninsula Clean Energy, Jacqueline Kurth Orthodontics, MGM Builders, Hometown Realty and several local nonprofits and businesses.
Council members who spoke following the presentation praised the turnout and noted the cross-generational attendance—longtime Belmont residents who remembered Barrett as a school and newer families. Mayor Mates and other council members also thanked the many volunteers and city staff who supported the festival.
Ford said the foundation will continue community engagement and is planning additional fundraising activities, including a January 9 ticketed “Night Out with the Warriors” to support the foundation’s work. She and council members said the foundation will receive a proclamation and photos to document the group’s work for the council record.
The presentation did not include specific funding commitments or changes to the city’s project schedule; Ford and Parks and Recreation staff said next steps include continued dialogue between the foundation and city staff about engagement and fundraising.
