Friday, November 30, 2007

Many Hands Make Light Work

It's been said that "Many hands make light work." Become part of the solution by means of these three upcoming events, which also make for great opportunities to engage and connect with the Brisbane community.

(1) Help clean up Crocker Park Recreational Trail. We'll be meeting at the trail head on Park Ln at 9:00 a.m. And in keeping in line with Brisbane tradition, light refreshments will be provided!


(2) Help light up the town by turning on your holiday star. Then, be sure to join in on the festivities commencing Sunday night at 5:30 p.m. with the 21st Annual Festival of Lights. Caroling begins at 5:30 at the top of Visitacion @ Klamath, with the Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony and entertainment beginning at 6:00 p.m. in the Community Park.

Photo courtesy of Lee Panza, www.panza.smugmug.com

(3) Help build your community's ecocity awareness level and invite them to attend the final lecture of the Baylands Speaker Series, with urban ecologist and author Richard Register. Register is one of the world's great theorists and authors in ecological city design and planning. He is also a practitioner with three decades of experience activating local projects, pushing establishment buttons and working with environmentalists and developers to get a better city built and running. The event takes place this coming Monday, 12/3 @ 7:30 p.m. at Mission Blue Center.

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Thankful, In All Circumstances

Happy Thanksgiving to the Brisbane Community, from all of us at City Hall. It's a time for families united, second (third, or fourth) helpings, and remembering what really matters. We hope your families have a wonderful celebration.

We'd like to take this time to update you on the Cosco Busan Oil Spill which took place Nov. 8th in the San Francisco Bay. Stated in a press update, released today from the San Mateo County Office of Emergency Services, "Experts are anticipating that this week's seasonally high tides may sweep more tar balls onto our shores in places where they may not have been found previously, and that the combination of sunny weather and the Thanksgiving holiday will likely draw many visitors to San Mateo County beaches." The San Mateo County Health Department's Division of Environmental Health (SMCDEH) considers the risk to human health to be low, but if you or your family is planning a visit, please click here for safety tips offered by the County to beach goers.

With that, may you all have a safe and enjoyable holiday!

Friday, November 16, 2007

If you REALLY want to know...

What's going on in the City of Stars, then you might want to think about attending two upcoming [free] events in town. The first one takes place tonight, at the Mission Blue Center. Starting at 7:30 p.m., Charles Jencks, a former professor at the UCLA School of Architecture and now a leading architechtural critic and writer, will be taking all those in attendence on an exploration of the iconic buildings of our time. As part of the "University of Brisbane at Mission Blue" Baylands Speaker Series, tonight's event is meant to provide the community with a "university" look at the Baylands project, and one we hope you'll find fascinating.

The second if-you-really-want-to-know event takes place on Monday night at the Community Center. The agenda for the night's Council Meeting includes a variety of important issues for the City, among them an update on the Northeast Ridge involving the current eucalyptus tree removal and thinning project being carried out by Brookfield Homes, and the adoption of a Green Building Ordinance through the amendment to the Conservation Element of the City's General Plan.

If you would like e-mailed agendas for upcoming City Council meetings, please let City Clerk Sheri Schroeder know by sending her an e-mail at cityhall@ci.brisbane.ca.us requesting to be added to the distribution list.

Friday, November 09, 2007

SF Bay Oil Spill

At approximately 8:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, a container ship struck the Bay Bridge in heavy fog, spilling nearly 1,380 barrels (approximately 58,000 gallons) of heavy bunker fuel oil into the bay. As of Thursday evening, 9,500 gallons had been recovered. There has not been any oil reported along the San Mateo County coast, and the San Mateo County Office of Emergency Services reports that the spill is "unlikely" to move into San Mateo County Bay waters at this time. Click here for a map of the affected areas.

Brisbane City staff have been participating in San Mateo County Office of Emergency Services (SMC OES) conference calls to monitor the spill’s movement and to pre-order containment materials that will be deployed, should the spill move towards Brisbane. SMC OES is participating in Regional OES conference calls, and has also deployed a district coordinator to the Oil Spill Command Post (a Unified Command consisting of the Coast Guard, CA Dept. of Fish and Game and others established to respond to this emergency). Additionally, the SMC OES has their boat and plane mobilized to provide first-hand, dedicated reconnaissance to address any of the spill's movements.

Oil Spill Reporting:

Oiled Wildlife Reporting Hotline: 877-823-6926
Oil Sighting and Claims: 888-850-8486
Public Info Hotline & Media Inquiries: 415-399-7305

Volunteers have not been requested for clean-up operations or wildlife rescue. Please see Oiled Wildlife Care Network www.owcn.org concerning this matter. Also, if you see an oiled animal, please do not approach it or touch it, as even the fumes can cause dizziness in high concentrations. Call 877-UCD-OWCN instead.

Saturday, November 03, 2007

A Smashing Dedication Ceremony for Tunnel Ave. Bridge

Days like this don't come often. Which is exactly why so many from the community turned out for this morning's dedication ceremony...and what a beautiful morning it was in Brisbane. A very special thanks to Project Manager Karen Kinser, City Engineer Randy Breault, Contractor RGW and all those whose hard work gave the community a truly remarkable reason to celebrate today. (Hard) hats off to you!

Friday, November 02, 2007

What's Shakin'?

This past Tuesday at 8:05 p.m., the entire Bay Area was, in response to the 30 sec. magnitude-5.6 tremblor that occurred near the junction of the Calaveras and Hayward fault lines. The epicenter of the quake was in the Diablo Range foothills east of San Jose, five miles from Alum Rock, seven miles from Milpitas and nine miles from San Jose City Hall. The shaker, scientists said, originated 5.7 miles below ground and was felt as far east as Sacramento and as far north as Sonoma. But what you probably didn't know was that after that "mainshock" quake, a 3.7 aftershock occurred the following afternoon (10/31), in the same exact spot. In addition, there have been over 50 small aftershocks at Alum Rock since Tuesday night, ranging between magnitudes 1.1 and 2.8.


In response to the California Earthquake Prediction Evaluation Council's (CEPEC) evaluation of Tuesday night's quake, the state Office of Emergency Services recommends that residents of the San Francisco Bay region review their family emergency plans, check their emergency supplies, identify the "safe" and "potential danger" spots in each room, remove breakables from locations from which they can fall and cause injury, and stay tuned to the television or radio for further information (KCBS 740 AM and KSJO FM 92.3 - Spanish). Also, Adult 3-Day Emergency Preparedness Kits from the American Red Cross are available now at City Hall. Now's the time to get READY!


And to end on a lighter note...the Tunnel Ave. Bridge Dedication Ceremony will be shakin' tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. Come and join us in the park-n-ride lot for a unique, "bottle-breaking," celebration!