Richa Awasthi - Council Corner

Nineteen years ago, I came to America – the land of opportunity and decided to settle here and make this great country our home. A big part of my decision was an appreciation for our shared American values. One value, a drive for chasing excellence, permeates our culture. In this pursuit of excellence, Americans consistently pursue perfection, demonstrate hard work, by going the extra mile, remaining dedicated and committed, through strong work ethics. This drive to complete any job or task with the highest level of sincerity and standard is ingrained in our culture.  These values match perfectly with how I was brought up and the values imparted by my parents and teachers. 

Approaching a year as a Councilmember, remaining extremely focused on the most critical City issues and continuing the process of expedited learning & engaging with the community and the regional leaders, I find myself at a stage, where I feel like having been through many City issues and situations and facing and tackling them, has resulted in a rich experience that I feel fortunate to have gained. This has evolved and shaped me as a Councilwoman and my decisions, and most importantly, has refined my thought process on deciding what’s best for Foster City. 

“What’s going on with the land at Charter Square?” Lately not a single conversation with a resident is complete without this question. You may have seen the demolition of buildings and hauling off of debris by the site at Beach Park and Shell Boulevards. This work is being done by the owner of the site Westlake Urban who will transfer the ownership of the property to the San Mateo-Foster City School District once the site is graded. This transfer of ownership option and to publicly bid the construction of the school was chosen by the School District’s Board of Trustees late last year. The School District was not able to purchase the property originally without construction by the owner included, until the owner could not deliver the project within the budget.  As a result, the School District was able to purchase the property with demolished buildings and a graded site just as you see it today.

Thank you for your comments and positive feedback on my previous council corner “The Housing Dilemma” published on January 30, 2019. I appreciate your input on this complex topic and for joining me in my learning and fact gathering journey.

Continuing this journey, let’s talk about the Elephant in the Room – Our aging infrastructure, our funding challenges, and the need to discuss, figure out solutions, prioritize and make difficult decisions to address them.