Beautifying the Guadalupe River Park, the sprawling green space that snakes through downtown San Jose, will be a huge undertaking. And, as with any big project, it helps to start with something small but noticeable.

In this case that something is the Guadalupe River Park and Gardens Visitor and Education Center on Coleman Avenue, which also serves as headquarters for the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy.  Until recently, the one-story building had fading and peeling paint and was surrounded by overgrown brush. It wouldn’t surprise me if people approaching it thought it had been abandoned to the elements.

Guadalupe River Park Conservancy board president Jodi Starbird and Executive Director Jason Su found a donor to sponsor a makeover of the visitor center, providing a demonstration of what a little TLC could mean to the rest of the park. It’s important to recognized they assembled an entirely local team to do the work, too.

Stephanie Curtis and Mark Henderson cleaned up the vegetation and landscape so people could see the building as well as appreciate the native plants. Denise Olenak — who created that amazing mural tribute to healthcare workers in Naglee Park — refreshed the building’s paint. And artist Ben Henderson carefully restored the cracked and faded sign out front, which was originally hand-painted by the late Rey Giese (and still includes his trademark signature).

Now, cleaning up the rest of the park remains a massive task — with a lack of regular maintenance allowing brush to obscure trails and homeless encampments and inconsiderate visitors producing a stream of trash. But the revitalization of the visitor center shows that it’s possible to restore the park’s beauty, one step at a time.

TRASH TALK: Speaking of needed cleanups, downtown San Jose resident Julie Matsushima rang alarm bells about the massive trash dump that she and Garden City Construction owner Jim Salata saw had developed beneath the Interstate 280 overpass near Almaden and Reed, a gateway to downtown that’s just blocks from the San Jose McEnery Convention Center.

In addition to piles of trash and furniture at the site, Matsushima saw more than a few rats, a problem that’s being increasingly reported in cities lately, and said she’s worried about the people who work and live there.

“The downtown core and gateways are filled with pockets of filth and trash putting the health and safety of already battered businesses, residents and neighbors living near this garbage at great risk,” Matsushima wrote in an email to Mayor Sam Liccardo and downtown Councilman Raul Peralez.

Both city and Santa Clara County officials say they’ve targeted the area for cleanups, but the work was delayed because of poor air quality caused by the various wildfires in the region. Matsushima says she’ll be checking back regularly to make sure the work actually happens.

OUTDOORS AND UPSTAIRS: There’s good news for fans of Kyoto Palace, the lively Japanese restaurant at the Pruneyard in Campbell. Much of the charm of the restaurant, which originally opened as Fujiya Japanese Restaurant in 1976, has been wrapped up in the atmosphere as much as the food, and atmosphere doesn’t translate to takeout.

But all is not lost. Partner Dale Yoshihara, along with the chefs and managers, put their heads together to create some new menu items filled with small plates available for diners on the patio. It’s hardly the same show, but the new items rolled out last week, and the shrimp tacos and the katsu sliders were a big hit. Check it out at www.kyotopalace.com/kyoto-patio.