Update on our Firefighters

As of 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, our firefighters have returned!! Welcome home!
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Our firefighters are going on Day 10 in SoCal, but fortunately, the entire Northern San Mateo County Strike Team is being assigned to a required rest period today. Tomorrow, they will be sent to a staging area in San Diego County, as excess resources at the Poomacha/Mt. Palomar Fire. There are still several areas burning in Southern California, and it is yet to be determined where the critical resource needs are most necessary. Hopefully our guys will be able to demobilize and come home soon.

Also…if you haven’t already noticed, there’s been a fire truck parked outside the Community Pool Monday – Thursday mornings. The firefighters have been lending their time, helping to ensure that the pool can continue operating at full staff and able to run as smoothly as possible. They’re committed to do so until November 8th, or until the pool is fully staffed. So...if you happen to spot one of them the next time you’re up swimming laps, be sure to show your gratitude!

The Best Things in Life Are Free

We have all been affected in some way or another by the tragic events that have taken place in Southern California this past week. With the news coverage focusing now on evacuees returning back to where their homes used to be, sifting through its remains, trying to salvage what hasn't been entirely consumed by fire...we all can attest to this sentiment a bit more than we did before Monday.

Thankfully, the weather is finally cooperating with the increase in humidity and the Santa Ana winds having died down, but more and more crews have been sent to attack the blazes. Among them were four of our own, who made the trip down to SoCal just an hour after receiving the official dispatch orders 9:00 a.m. Monday morning. They are: Captain Scott Ferguson,Craig Briscoe, Firefighter Fred Menzel, and Firefighter/Paramedic Neema Mohammadizad. Caravanning down with Brisbane’s Engine 81 were Battalion Chiefs Engler and Stratton from North County Fire Authority, along with four other engines that, together, made up the Northern San Mateo County Strike Team (the other 4 engines being from South San Francisco, Colma, and two from Daly City).

Originally, the strike team was sent to San Diego County to fight the Harris Fire. Since then they have been moved around to various fires throughout San Diego County as their orders change to reflect where they are needed for structure protection. Our guys are reported to be doing well, just tired from the week they have been down there. There’s no word yet as to when the crew will be able to return back, but given the scale of the fires still raging, it could be anywhere from 7 to 14 days before they are able to return home. We hope it’s more so the former, but know they’ll stay for however long it takes to see that the job gets done. Click here for a status map of the LA and SD fires.

It goes without saying that it takes a huge amount of bravery and fearlessness for these guys to do what they do, but these guys definitely have it. We hope to see them back home and safe soon.

Our annual Marina Festival is happening this weekend! From 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, you won’t want to be anywhere else! The Annual Marina Festival is a popular community event, offering many activities for the whole family to enjoy. This year features live music by the Kathy Wall Quartet and The Hot Rods Band. Also featured is a special noontime performance by Rebels Elite junior cheer teams, radio controlled car races, classic boats, a classic car show, Lions Club fun run/walk, food, art & wine, children's activities, and much more. So come on down to the Marina this Sunday for what is expected to be a great time! The best things in life truly ARE FREE -- and that includes admission & parking.

Happy Birthday to Me

This blog is officially a year old. But in lieu of cake, cookies, and all things cream-filled, our wish is for you, as part of the Brisbane community, to present us with any comments on how we're doing. Do you feel that the blog is serving its purpose of being a resource for timely community information? Also, are there any items you'd like to see on here that we haven't yet posted on? We'd like to invite our readers to share any comments with us by having them e-mailed to us. You can expect that we'll be answering them personally...and if there's a post that garners a large number of similar-type comments, we will be sure to dedicate a post to address them here. With that said, we look forward to hearing from you!

Updating You on a Few Matters

The Community Pool will be closed this Saturday and Sunday, 10/20-21, with the repair-work finishing up to fix the pool's boiler. The good news though, is that the pool will be back open on Monday the 22nd...operating at its regular hours, and hopefully at a much more friendly temperature. Again, thank you to the community for your cooperation, and we deeply apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

To remind you of the reason why we moved across the street to 140 Valley, it was so that an earthquake retrofit could be done, in addition to the second floor being made ADA accessible to all City Hall visitors, and a 100+ seated capacity Community Room/Council Chambers. The construction company will be mobilizing to City Hall this Monday, setting up a temporary fence at the Park Place entrance (please visit City Hall at 140 Valley if you need police assistance, so that can quickly contact an officer for you). And for all Dog Park visitors, please follow the signs and enter in through the west entrance on Park LANE. Thank you very much for your cooperation!

The Citizens Academy heard a presentation from the City's Community Development Dept. last night where Director Bill Prince provided an overview of the department and the laws and regulations the department works under...as well as informed participants about the role the Planning Commission has in assisting City Council with recommendations on ordinances and policies. Both of these tie in with the development of the General Plan (they're currently working on the last Circulation element, which City Council will take up afterwards). Tim Tune, Senior Planner (who has worked for the City for over 20 years!), then gave his presentation on the Brisbane Municipal Code. You can be sure the Planning Dept. is well-informed on the City's codes, regulations, and policies! Did you know that in Brisbane's General Plan, there are over 900 different policies? (For a perspective, So. San Francisco has approximately 300 in theirs).

Mark your calendars, as the Tunnel Ave. Bridge Dedication Ceremony is coming up Saturday, Nov. 3rd at 11:00 a.m. We'll be meeting at the park-n-ride lot, so join us for one collector car-themed celebration (yes, we're pulling out all the stops to ensure this monumental event carries with it its own unique Brisbane flair!)

When It Rains, It Pours.

But that's not to say the City hasn't had its share of sunnier days, especially this past week. 700 people came out for the Day in the Park festival last Saturday, with 300 spectators for the Soap Box Derby, which has been a Brisbane tradition since the 1940s. It was the perfect blend of fine weather, music, entertainment, and eats (did you happen to try one of the Lion's tri-tip sandwiches?) Below are a few snapshots of the day, which included extravagant face-painting, wonderment with Uron from the K-9 Unit, a myriad of vendor booths, and of course, derby cars that whizzed by a throng of cheering spectators.

Congratulations to Luc Del Chiaro (6-9 yrs. class, sponsored by Brisbane Hardware) and Joshua Stone (10-14 yrs. class, sponsored by F.W. Spencer & Son, Inc.) who competed among a group of 30 Derby racers. And a great big THANK YOU to the Community Groups and Sponsors, whose hard work and support made this year’s Day in the Park festival truly, the best yet!

This past Thursday, the spotlight was on the Department of Public Works, as it was their turn to make their presentation before the Citizens Academy. Participants were informed about the roles of the department's Director/City Engineer, Senior and Associate Civil Engineers, Public Works Inspector, and the Operations & Maintenance Division (covering the 3 areas of Water, Sewer, and Buildings & Grounds). The Citizens Academy was also informed about the process of grant funding, the current capital improvement projects being undertaken, community outreach regarding Tunnel Ave. Bridge, the pavement management program, and ongoing/future efforts for the Office of Emergency Services (OES).

Open House is taking place next Saturday, Oct. 20th at the Brisbane Fire Station. Join us between 10:00am - 2:00pm as we celebrate Fire Service Day, with station tours, engine displays, fire safety & prevention activities, and an overall FUN afternoon!

And last but not least, we wanted to inform the community that the pool will be closed this weekend due to boiler failure. The pool will re-open Monday morning, where we'll be daily monitoring the temperature of the water and keeping the pool open, so long as the water temperature doesn't dip too low. Maintenance is expected to be completed by next Wednesday or Thursday. Please check back here for updates. We apologize for this inconvenience, but ask that you please bear with us. We are working as swiftly as possible to make sure this well-loved facility is available again soon for the community's enjoyment. Thank you.

3 Days of Community Fun

It’s inevitable. The seasons are changing, with the dog days of summer swirling into what’s become crisp autumn air in Brisbane. But one thing’s for certain. Here, there are always fun things happening within the community, and this weekend is no exception.

The final Concerts in the Park will be taking place TONIGHT at 7:30 p.m. at the Community Park. Livewire Dance Band will be ushering in the best dance tunes, so come on out and be entertained…and start your weekend out on a LIVEly note!

TOMORROW marks the annual Day in the Park celebration, which you also don’t want to miss. The first-ever Brisbane Derby race will be taking place at 10:00 AM at the top of San Francisco St…come out and support the youth of Brisbane who have been eagerly looking forward to this event for some time now. Just be sure to stay out of their way! The rest of the day’s line-up is below:

LAST NIGHT, participants in the Citizens Academy gathered to hear about the City’s Finance Dept. – namely, how the City is funded, the costs to provide basic and community services, various accounting procedures that the City must report, what Brisbane's 5-year fiscal outlook looks like, and the types of solutions that are being evaluated to best meet the financial needs of our community. The fun continues next week with the Department of Public Works.