Heather's article in the Daily Journal about a very special "secret" in Burlingame!
Please note the correct meeting date is the second Wednesday.
After months of thinking the end was in sight, the Friends of Mills Canyon took a fresh breath of air as a new board takes over and looks ahead. In October, the aging members of Friends of Mills Canyon feared the worst, the demise of their club dedicated to maintaining the area they love. With active members reaching 85 years old and older, the club decided to hold meetings throughout 2005 but were unsure of what to do afterward. The scurry for new friendship caught the interest of Bobbi Benson, a transplant of Dallas, Texas who became the new chairman of the board of Friends of Mills Canyon. When I learned that the Friends of Mills Canyon may not be able to continue, I went to one of their board meetings. And they asked if I'd be willing to serve as chairman and you know me, I said yea,? she said.
In 1977, a 75-year-old Ed Taylor began building a trail in Mills Canyon in the Burlingame hills with the City Council's approval. Shortly after his death in 1983, the council named the trail after Taylor. His wife Marjorie and a group of citizens continued to work on the trail. The group organized into the Friends of Mills Canyon in 1986.
Benson first hiked the trail in April 2004 with her hiking group and instantly fell in love. She has a laundry list of goals for the future including more signage leading to and on the trail, widening it, adding benches and obtaining nonprofit status for the group. We're trying to get nonprofit organizational status so that we can have grants so what we can get the proper work done to maintain the trail. It takes thousands of dollars to maintain the trail. Everything has to be done by hand. You can't get machinery down there, it takes big crews,? she said. Benson invited new people to check out the group and join. It costs $20 for an individual, $35 for a family, students are free, $100 for corporate membership. There is also a benefactor level. Fees can be sent to the Friends of Mills Canyon, P.O. Box 5, Burlingame, Calif. 94011. For more information about the Friends of Mills Canyon visit www.millscanyon.org. The group hopes the site will be updated soon. The group meets the first Thursday of each month at 7:30 p.m. at the Burlingame Parks and Recreation Building, 850 Burlingame Ave.
Please note the correct meeting date is the second Wednesday.
- Written by Fiona
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