Changing Gears

The City's website will soon be getting a face-lift! In the past year, staff has been working to make sure the City’s current site is not threatened with any more SQL injection attacks while meeting with the Public Information City Council Subcommittee to determine what criteria needs to be addressed when re-designing the site, issuing a Request for Proposals for a designer, interviewing the applicants who submitted proposals to the City, and finally, meeting with the web developer they felt best met Council’s criteria, whose proposal City Council unanimously approved at their February 6, 2010 meeting.

C.J. MacDonald has worked as a web developer for the past 14 years, designing and managing media delivery systems for a variety of large-scale corporations, including Cinegogo.com, Open Architecture Network, and the Marlin Community. His areas of expertise as the Principal of Aloft Consulting are in video and social media design, product and project management from end to end including storage, delivery, and streaming, rights management and copy protection, IP issues, and licensing.

C.J. has lived in Brisbane for the past eight years. Being a part of the community allows C.J. to add a look and feel to the site that will reflect the locality and small-town atmosphere of Brisbane. He will be designing the site using Drupal, which is an open source content management system that has become widely used for its interactive features, of which The White House and Portland State University are good examples. Below is a mockup of the future City of Brisbane website.

The large photo you see will actually be part of a rotating series of pictures taken at different locations in Brisbane. If you have any fantastic shots that you've captured around town, then please mail them to C.J. so he can work on having them included in the slideshow!

Get ready to put on your walking shoes, because Sunday, April 11th, between 10am - 2pm is "Streets Alive San Mateo County". This is also World Health Day, so along with cities around the globe, Brisbane will be making a street available for people to walk, bike, run and skate on. Half of San Francisco Ave. between Visitacion & Inyo will be closed, with the other side left open for cars to traverse up and down the upper portion of San Francisco and for Inyo to remain one-way. On the closed portion, there will be class instructors giving demonstrations and performances of the classes they teach through the Parks & Rec. department, blood pressure screenings administered by Seton Medical Center, free giveaways, live entertainment, and Brisbane's own Fire and Police Depts. giving away a "Healthy Firefighter's Cookbook" and demonstrating police cycling gear. As you can see from the map below, the closed street portion is directly adjacent to Quarry Rd. and just steps from Crocker Park Recreational Trail. So come out from 10am - 2pm on Sunday April 11th and celebrate Streets Alive! Click here for more information about Streets Alive SMC and check out what other cities are planning for the day-of.

We have had the pleasure of taking in many an orchestral, choral, and theatrical repertoire at Mission Blue Center, and tonight and no different. Starting at 7:30pm, the Brisbane Library in partnership with the City of Brisbane presents...

The duet Chanson du Soir, comprised of classical guitarist David Isaacs and soprano Chelsea Camille, will perform an enticing fare of music that will delight your ears and calm your spirit. You don't want to miss it! This event is FREE to the public, so come one, come all, and enjoy!

What's the Noise All About?

Well, when it comes to aiplanes flying overhead, we'd rather not have heard it in the first place. Unfortuantely, noise generated by airplanes flying over Brisbane has become more frequent than in years past. While the authority to control aircraft movements at airports lies solely with the FAA, airports can recommend the use of certain runways for noise abatement purposes through the development of runway use programs. Therefore, it is imperative that you contact the SFO Aircraft Noise Abatement Office the next time you hear a plane flying overhead, as they are the link between the public and the airline operators. You can do so in one of two ways: 1.) calling the local hotline (650) 821-4736, also Toll Free (877) 206-8290; or 2.) sending an e-mail to sfo.noise@flysfo.com. Thanks for your efforts in helping reduce airport/aircraft noise in Brisbane!

You should have seen the Census 2010 form come through your mailbox in the last week. Have you filled it out and mailed it back? Well if you haven't, or have questions, Roxana Griggs, Brisbane resident, is here to help. For the next month, she will be at City Hall (50 Park Place) sitting at a table in the front lobby to assist residents in filling out the 10-question form. She will be at the Census Questionnaire Assistance Center Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays & Fridays 10am-1pm and Wednesdays 4pm-7pm. Come by and see her, as she's more than happy to help answer all your Census inquiries.

A lot of noise is currently being made about the 2010 Census, as more than $400 billion in federal funds are awarded to states and communities based on Census data. That's more than $4 trillion over the 10 year life of the data! So, you can see why the Census is such a big deal, especially in these times.

To help encourage San Mateo County residents to "Get Out the Count", a special kick-off event is planned for this Saturday, 11am-1pm at the Redwood City Courthouse Square. At "California Be Counted Day", you'll be sure to find music and dancing performances, fun activities for kids, giveaways, and Census information and biligual help tables. This event to mark the decennial Census is sponsored by the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, the San Mateo County Complete Count Committee, and the U.S. Census Bureau. Enjoy the weather this weekend by coming to celebrate this special Census kick-off event...cause if you miss it, you'll have to wait another 10 years!

Lastly, there has been interest shown in residents joining the Open Space & Ecology Committee, but we're still looking for more applicants to fill the two open seats. So if you've ever volunteered at a Habitat Restoration Day, or are interested in issues such as natural resource conservation, recycling/solid waste reduction issues, and wetlands preservation, you may want to consider submitting an application to Sheri Spediacci by e-mail at cityclerk@ci.brisbane.ca.us, faxing it to (415) 467-4989, or just stopping in with it at City Hall. Your ideas could really make a difference in Brisbane!

A Time of Transition

Today, we're bidding adieu to our always-knowledgable, always-studious, and always-curious Community Development Director, Bill Prince. In the last seven years, Bill has headed up the General Plan and Housing Element updates, overseen the planning process for the Baylands and Sierra Point, and educated us all by bringing the "University of Brisbane" concept to the community. Bill's unlimited passion to learn and pass on his knowledge will be greatly missed.

Another accomplishment that Bill had during his tenure was recruiting John Sweicki as Principal Planner for the City. John will be assuming the reins as Interim Director upon Bill's departure and we look forward to him bringing his expertise and familiarity with the issues the City is currently faced with to the table. Congratulations to both Bill and John, for your model of leadership and your willingness to step up and on to new things!

Also in transition during this time are the various City Commissions and Committees. For one, the new Planning Commission met this past Thursday, welcoming Karen Cunningham and Dave Reinhardt. They join Commissioners Theresa Maturo, Jameel Munir (Haji), and Carolyn Parker. Cris Hart was appointed to the Parks, Beaches, and Recreation Commission, where he will be serving alongside Renee Marmion (Chair), Linda Almeida, Bonnie Bologoff, and Mike De La Torre.

If you have ever wanted to serve your community in a public capacity, the opportunity can still be yours! The City is looking for residents to serve on the Open Space & Ecology Committee. The City's various Committees and Commissions are integral to the progression of the City, helping move the community's interests and projects forward. For instance, the Open Space & Ecology Committee aids in the acquisition, planning, and monitoring of open space as one of their focus areas.

If the above interests you at all, then consider applying for a seat on the Open Space & Ecology Committee. It's easy to apply - just fill out and return the application to Sheri Spediacci, City Clerk at 50 Park Place, Brisbane, or e-mail it to her at cityclerk@ci.brisbane.ca.us.

Hoping for your home to undergo a little transition or two? Well then you won't want to miss the Home Show Expo, coming to the Cow Palace March 26-28. The Home Show is an event designed for homeowners in all stages of remodeling, landscaping, and decorating their homes. There will be hundreds of exhibits on-site with merchandise, product demonstrations and sample interior and exterior vignettes. One of the exhibitors will be the Countywide Stormwater Program, which will be hosting a booth (and giving away two free rain barrels!). So come with ideas, photos, and an open mind...and walk away inspired and excited for your next home improvement project! Click here for more information about the event, and here to see about getting in for free!

Keeping Tabs, and Keeping Score

In the coming weeks, work will begin on the thinning and cutting of a eucalyptus grove located north of Lupine Valley Court in the Northeast Ridge. Seeing that this is still the rainy season, the stumps will not yet be removed so as to mitigate any erosion-related issues from taking place on the Mountain. Once finished working in that project area, contractors will move west to do the same in two other areas where eucalyptus trees are prolific. Again, stumps will not be removed until after the rainy season.

When the rainy season concludes around May, contractors will return to remove the stumps and the erosion control blanket. This is a composite blanket consisting of a core composed of coconut fibers and surrounded by two non-synthetic nets for shear strength. The erosion control blanket will be used in any disturbed areas, as qualified by the Public Works Inspector and Engineering staff from the City who will be on-site during the course of the limbing and cutting of the trees. Also, a site activity review has been approved by the County and a site inspection is being done to ensure that the tree is not being used as a nesting site for raptors or other bird species found on San Bruno Mountain before it’s removed. Once cut down, the trees will be loaded onto trucks to be hauled and chipped off-site (none of them will be sent to the landfill but will be re-used for other purposes). Some areas can only be reached by dirt roads, and will require the contractor to first remove trees using small crews with chainsaws, rather than with equipment driving up the Mountain. In addition, all vehicle traffic will be limited to the gravel access road. A truck-washing station will be on-site to ensure that no dirt is tracked onto Guadalupe Canyon Parkway. All of these activities will be closely monitored by the City to ensure a smooth and efficient project, with as little impact to the residents as possible.

The Brisbane Parks and Recreation Dept. is currently seeking a scorekeeper for its adult softball league. Games are played at Mission Blue Field on Tuesday and Wednesday nights at 6:30, 7:45, and 9:00pm and last approximately 1 hour and 5 minutes. Previous experience is preferred but not required. The pay is $13 per game. For more information, please call Recreation Supervisor Russ Carmick at (415) 508-2143.

With summer not too far off, now is the time for students to start searching out and applying for summer internships. This year, the City is offering 3 internships for students completing their undergraduate or graduate coursework and 1 for high school students, which the City received funding for from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. Interested applicants can apply on CalOpps.org and high school students interested in civil engineering or transportation can apply for the MTC internship at their site, by clicking here. The MTC internship is a great way for students to "test drive" possible careers, as Nykka found when she interned with the City of Brisbane's Public Works Dept. in 2008. Click here to read how she enjoyed getting to know her community better during her summer interning with the City.