Around Town: Upcycled art and a contentious Midtown project

In this week’s Around Town column, Earth Month is upon us.

CAPS FOR CLIPBOARDS … Started by Palo Alto Medical Foundation physician Dr. Ken Lin and his son Brandon, a program that recycles medical caps to create clipboards for the clinical teams is closing out its first year. To date, the program, called the ReCap Project, estimates it has processed over 160,000 pieces of plastic – that’s 400 pounds – to create 88 clipboards. Each time clinicians have accumulated 20-30 pounds of caps, they visit Precious Plastics to shred and melt the caps before pressing them into molds to bake, a press release said. Growing beyond its initial PAMF San Carlos Center, the program has expanded to include Palo Alto, Burlingame, Daly City, Fremont and Redwood City.

CONTENTIOUS CONDOS … Despite concerns from neighbors, a proposal in Midtown to demolish an eight-apartment complex and replace it with 12 three-bedroom condominiums scored a narrow victory this week, when the City Council upheld the project’s approval. The proposal at 739 Sutter Ave. has drawn criticism from residents of San Carlos Court, which is next to the project site. In a letter opposing the project, attorneys for the San Carlos Court Neighborhood Association argued that the proposed three-story condominiums would cause “significant traffic, and construction-related noise and air quality impacts and public safety issues.” Milan Saini, who lives near the building, also said that he opposes what he called a “high-density development.” He contended that the project is too tall and dense for the neighborhood and argued that the three-story development “threatens to overshadow the existing charm and sense of place of this neighborhood.” “As a community, we cherish the character, history and quality of life of our neighborhood and the proposed project threatens to disrupt the delicate balance of the quality of life that exists.” The project, which was proposed by property owner Grace Li, scored a victory last month, when Planning Director Jonathan Lait formally approved it. On April 22, the council voted 4-2, with council members Pat Burt and Lydia Kou opposing, to affirm Lait’s decision on its “consent calendar,” which is reserved for uncontroversial items (Vice Mayor Ed Lauing was absent). Burt said he generally supports the project but would have liked to see a full discussion and some modifications to address neighbors’ concerns. Kou was more critical and argued that the project does not provide sufficient privacy measures. She also suggested that the council should have held a full hearing on the proposal. “This is an egregious way of doing it — when we have an appeal process and the residents are not heard,” Kou said.

SCRAP PARTS TO ART… A colorful cow made from old children’s toys. A white ram perched atop a rock constructed out of gaskets, keyboard keys and wires. The Telecom Dog, made from an old answering machine and phones. These are just a few of the sculptures at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital in Stanford. Out of over 4,000 art pieces, 2% are made from recycled items. “We talk a lot about building resilience for our staff population so they can do their job to the best of their ability, which in turn affects our patients,” wrote Stanford Medicine Children’s Health art curator Antonia Dapena-Tretter in a statement. “Having the artwork all around you is like a cocoon—it’s warm, fuzzy and brings whimsy. joy, levity and peace to all who see it.” Stanford plans to add more recycled artwork to their children’s hospital to promote sustainability, comfort and well-being.