Recognizing What's Important

After 39 years dedicated to public safety and policing services, Brisbane Police Chief of 22 years, Tom Hitchcock, will be recognized at a reception prior to this Monday night's City Council meeting (June 28, 2010). After formal presentations and comments given by the City Manager and City Council, a reception will take place in the lobby of the Community Meeting Room, extending over into the Public Works/Planning Counter area of City Hall. There will be plenty of light refreshments, so please come and congratulate Tom on his retirement and help him celebrate this special milestone in his life!

Removal of striping on Brisbane roadways has been ongoing over the past week, as contractors get ready to begin slurry sealing on certain streets Monday, June 28th. However, not all slurry sealing in town is going to be completed on this day - streets where work will be taking place will be notified to remove their cars a few days in advance of that specific day (see photos below). Once your street is slurry-sealed and cleared of traffic control and equipment, you're welcome to move your car back to its spot.

Residents on these streets have been notified with these yellow door hangers which contractors have posted, along with these A-frame "No Parking" signs, indicating the day that slurry sealing will be taking place on their street.

Earlier this morning, Public Works Inspector Greg Morris checked in with contractors performing the removal of roadway striping to make sure work is progressing as planned.

Speaking of planning, the Public Works Dept. has coordinated with garbage/recycling removal company, South San Francisco Scavengers, to make sure trash pick-up services are not disrupted. No slurry sealing has been scheduled, then, for Thursday or Friday, when garbage is regularly picked up in town. So, please proceed as you normally would and have your trash out by 5:00am the day your trash would normally be picked up. And please be sure not to park on the street the day slurry sealing will be taking place, so as to ensure that work can be done as quickly and efficiently as possible. Thanks for your cooperation and patience in the City making sure your roadways are safe and nicely resurfaced!

And since we were on planning, here's something else. On this Monday's City Council agenda is further consideration of the draft Brisbane 2006-2014 Housing Element.

The Housing Element is one of seven required elements of the General Plan and is the blueprint for future housing within the City. State law requires that the Housing Element be updated approximately every 7 years, and the City process for the adopting a Housing Element for 2006-2014 has been ongoing since 2006. Numerous workshops before the Planning Commission and City Council in 2009 allowed for a thorough discussion of the draft Housing Element.

The major unresolved issue the City Council will be discussing again this coming Monday is the identification of potential sites to accommodate Brisbane’s “fair share” of regional housing (401 units) as determined through the State’s Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) process. Once the City Council makes a recommendation on this issue the draft Housing Element will be submitted to the State of California for review. Only after the state’s comments have been received will the Housing Element be scheduled form formal adoption.

Slurry Seals and Yard Sale Deals

You probably shouldn't anticipate a new species of semi-aquatic marine mammals coming to town...but we wanted to let the Community know that in the next couple weeks, contractors will be visible conducting slurry sealing, a key part of the City's annual Pavement Maintenance Project.


Slurry sealing is used in cities and counties across the country as one of the most cost-effective methods of pavement preservation. The slurry seal is a mixture of fine aggregate and emulsified asphalt that is mixed together and then applied to residential roadway surfaces. Slurry seals are typically applied during periods of warm, sunny weather to accelerate the curing of the product.

By undertaking a program of planned pavement maintenance, considerable savings in rehabilitation costs may be achieved. The application of the slurry seal will significantly extend the life of existing residential roadways by protecting the under-surface from damage caused by water-seepage. Thus, our residential roadways will remain sound, usable, and safe.

Prepping for the actual slurry sealing is slated to begin on June 23rd with the removal of the current striping (the contractor is sending out notices to residents living on the streets which have been identified to have resurfacing work done, as well as placing door hangers a couple days prior to the project starting). The next operation will need to entail lane closures, as that is when the actual slurry sealing work will be done. At the time of this posting, slurry sealing will take place on 1 of 5 dates: June 28-30, July 6th, and July 10th. Please do not park where signs have been posted. The last stage will be new striping, with the entire project finishing up in mid-July.

The Annual City-Wide Yard Sale is fast-approaching on July 17th. If you're planning on taking part as a seller in the City-Wide Yard Sale, sponsored by the Friends of the Brisbane Library, you'll want to get your registration forms in to the Library by Friday, July 9th, to take advantage of the early-bird $10 discount, AND to have your address listed in the directory that will be distributed the day-of. If you have any questions, please give the Library a call at 467-2060.

Success by Design

Mid-June. It's a time when we can find ourselves attending a graduation or two, celebrating the accomplishments of hard work...from not just the graduate, but the parents, teachers, and dedicated staff who invested themselves in the development of the students. This couldn't be seen more clearly than at yesterday's graduation ceremony for the 2010 Preschool class.

Each graduating student waited patiently for their name to be called. Upon handing them their diploma, Preschool teacher Diana Ji stooped down to take a picture with each of her students.

Some just couldn't contain their excitement after receiving the first of many diplomas to come.

The graduating class of 2010 with their teacher and her dedicated assistants, Marcela Martinez and Linda Gallegos behind them.

One of the graduates handed out candy leis to each of her fellow grads that she and her mom had made.

The spread at the "reception" was kid-approved...even down to the grape and marshmallow shish kabobs (which the kids themselves assembled that morning)!

As you can see, this is a very popular class. And registration for the 2011 class begins soon! Brisbane residents may register starting at 9:00am on Tuesday, July 20th at the Brisbane Parks & Recreation Office (located at the top of the stairs at City Hall - 50 Park Place). For more information, please click here.

To aid in the continued development of essential team-building, organizational, and leadership skills, lies the Brisbane Youth Advisory Committee (YAC). Committee members have the important duty of advising the Parks & Recreation Commission and Recreation staff as to the concerns and interests of the youth and teens in the Brisbane community. Applications for 2010/11 are due to Recreation Supervisor and YAC Advisor Steve Beaty by July 31, 2010. E-mail Steve at sbeaty@ci.brisbane.ca.us to request an application form or call him at 508-2144 if you have questions about the Committee.

Wondering how you can stay involved with your community even after you've donned your last cap and gown? Well one of the ways is attending the Brisbane Police Department's Town Hall Meeting they're hosting at City Hall this coming Monday, June 14th. This is a great opportunity to meet the officers and to bring up any questions, comments, or concerns that you would like to address with the Police Department. The meeting will be held in the Community Meeting Room and starts at 7:00pm. So come and meet your BPD officers...open communication is vital to a healthy community!

The weather's supposed to heat up to the mid-80s this weekend...so you know what that means. You'll want to be near the water! Spend Saturday June 12th, or anytime between 10:00am - 4:00pm, at the Brisbane Marina as they take part in National Marina Day....which will be full of great entertainment, food, and giveaways! The Department of Boating and Waterways will be on-hand to give away free boater kits in nice duffel bags, and you'll have a chance to throw your name in a hat to win a 3-day, 2-night trip for four to Orlando, FL, with airfare and lodging at a Walt Disney World Resort, a guided bass fishing excursion on the lakes of a Walt Disney World Resort and four 1-day passes to the Walt Disney World Theme Park! So be sure to bring your family and friends down to the Marina and enjoy a beautiful day at the Brisbane Marina!

And lastly, a friendly reminder that sign-ups for the City-Wide Yard Sale (Sat., 7/17) are due by July 9th. Come by City Hall or stop by the Library to pick up a registration form!

Possible Mountain Lion Sighting

Yesterday evening, between 10:00pm - 11:00pm, a mountain lion was possibly seen in the vicinity of Mission Blue Center (475 Mission Blue Dr.). A contractor who was cleaning the floors during that time reported the sighting to the Police Department after leaving the facility.

Mountain lions typically avoid people and would rather avoid a confrontation. But if you happen to see one, DO NOT APPROACH IT. If you ever come across one, do not run. Rather, you'd want to first face the animal, make noise, and wave your arms so that you appear bigger. For more information about mountain lions, click here.

News about the sighting was first delivered over SMC Alert. If you haven't already signed up to receive electronic messages sent to either your phone or e-mail (or, both), you can do so by visiting smcalert.info. Get signed up, and get informed!

What a Deal!

The Friends of the Brisbane Library invite you to take part in their annual City-Wide Yard Sale, taking place this year on Saturday, July 17th from 8:30am - 3:00pm. As an incentive to encourage early sign-ups, anyone who registers before July 9th will pay only $15 (as opposed to the $25 after).

All official participants will be listed in the City-Wide Yard Sale Directory, which will include a map of the City and the addresses of each registered seller. The Friends of the Library will send out press releases and list the sale in several local newspapers. On the day of the sale, volunteers will be present at the intersection of Visitacion & and San Bruno distributing the directory.

Registrations must be received by July 9th in order to be printed in the directory. After you register, you will receive a flyer filled with helpful information, including useful tips and creative suggestions on how to have a successful yard sale, in addition to an official Sponsor of the Brisbane Library sign to post at your site.

July 17th is sure to be a fun day for the entire community. The Brisbane Lions Club will host a BBQ in the Community Park on the day of the sale and the Humane Society will be bringing their mobile pet adoption clinic to the Library (250 Visitacion Ave). So take some time to consider participating in this fun-filled event...it's a great way to support the Library and to make a little extra money at the same time. Remember to submit a registration form to the Friends of the Library (forms are located at the Library or at City Hall) by July 9th for the entrance deal of $15.

And a delicious deal awaits you this weekend! On Sunday, June 6th from 8:30am-11:30am, San Bruno Mountain Watch (SBMW) is hosting their second Pancake Breakfast. Last year's breakfast was held to celebrate the construction of the new Mission Blue Native Plant Greenhouse. This year, community members will be celebrating spring planting at the Greenhouse while supporting SBMW (cost is $10 for adults, $5 for children). So invite your friends and family to come down to the event, taking place in the grassy area behind the Fire Station. Look for signs to know where to park - please do not park at the Fire Station. The firefighters need to have their lot clear in case of an emergency...and plus - you'll be in closer proximity to the hot cakes! And as you can see from the photo below, they brought smiles to those who came to celebrate the occasion.

Feeling like a sweet treat to start the weekend? Well if you haven't already heard...every first Friday in June marks National Donut Day, honoring the women of the Salvation Army, known as "Lassies", who delivered home-cooked food and treats to the men fighting on the front lines during WWI. It's said that the first donuts were cooked in oil in the metal helmet of an American soldier. So whether or not you feel it's your "duty" to honor those who served our country by picking up a donut...participating locations may be giving them away for free in celebration of National Donut Day. What a deal!

Being Prepared...It's In Our Hands

Sometimes, it takes something happening to us to cause us to act. It's how we learn. Seeing what we could have done differently, or better. Taking the time to pause, while we have it, is where plans and thinking can change. When it comes to emergency preparedness, that exact exercise is the primary goal of the Annual Wildland Fire Emergency Evacuation Drill. This took place last Saturday, beginning at 8:15am at Station 81. Representatives from the Brisbane Office of Emergency Services (OES), Community Emergency Volunteers (CEVs), Brisbane Police, and Fire Depts. are pictured below getting the run-down of events by OES Director Randy Breault before the actual Drill took place at approximately 9:30am.

Brisbane residents from Sierra Point Rd., William McCarthy and Michelle Woodruff, were the first to arrive and get checked in at the Residential Assembly Point, located at the Brisbane Marina. CEV Dan Sorrentino is also shown providing important evacuation information.

In the event of an emergency, the CEVs will evaluate the state of the homes that are located within their designated areas. Please help them take better care of you and your neighborhood by filling out this Residential Survey Form and returning it to the Brisbane Fire Station (3445 Bayshore Blvd).

After the Drill, Teen Center staff John Harrison, Petro Fanourgiakis, Tony Myers, Dominque Bocanegra, and Teresa Reed got ready for the Teen Center Open House by firing up the grill. They're pictured below along with Brisbane Police Officers Abraham Sevilla and Dominic Javellana.

The purpose of hosting the Open House was to show off the newly-painted facility (which the staff took a week to do themselves) and what one could expect to see there...like the new air hockey table!

It's Memorial Day Weekend, with plenty to enjoy in Brisbane, starting tonight! A reminder about "Spring Thing", taking place at Mission Blue Center tonight from 6:30pm - 11:00pm. Come and support the BEST/PTO in their first-ever District-Wide Fundraiser Gala! Walk off that lobster dinner by visiting the Dog Park (just behind City Hall, with entrances on Park Place and Park Lane) or Crocker Park Recreation Trail (whose trailhead is located directly across the street from the Dog Park on Park Lane).

Lastly, if you have any questions you would like to submit to the City in regards to the Baylands EIR, take some time to do so over the long weekend! Once you have your questions, you can submit them to the City. Thanks in advance for your participation and feedback!

Taking Your Questions for the Forthcoming EIR

At last night's City Council meeting, Baylands landowners Universal Paragon Corporation presented an updated project description for the Baylands Specific Plan (yet to be submitted to the City for review). According to Mayor Clarke Conway, the "proposal presented by Universal Paragon Corporation presents many challenges and concerns" and will be "subject to extensive environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act [CEQA]." Many good questions were raised by the public which will be addressed in the forthcoming Environmental Impact Report (EIR). In order to ensure the EIR process is as complete as possible, the City has set up an e-mail account to receive your questions. Within the next week, we will place a space on the City's website for submitting questions. In the meantime, please e-mail eir@ci.brisbane.ca.us and help make sure the EIR provides as much complete information as possible. We appreciate your participation in the public process!