Take the LEAP, and get ENGAGED

According to Irish tradition, women may only propose marriage once every four years, on February 29th. But since the purpose of this blog is to inform you of timely information and make known to you any upcoming events taking place in the community, here are some other ways you can get engaged:

The public is welcome to attend the Community Emergency Volunteer’s (CEVs) quarterly meeting, taking place this coming Tuesday between 7:00 – 9:00 PM at the Brisbane Fire Station – 3445 Bayshore Blvd. Come and hear about the threat of wildland fire to Brisbane, from the perspectives of Battalion Chief Kevin Park, of North County Fire Authority, Capt. Scott Ferguson, and your fellow Brisbane resident and CEV (for the past 18 years and going strong) Lois Tiano, who experienced the Southern California fires firsthand while on vacation in San Diego. See how her training allowed her to feel equipped and ready to volunteer her help in a potentially dangerous situation. For more info, contact Elizabeth at esolis@ci.brisbane.ca.us.

City Council meetings are another way for you to get engaged, as well be informed of the things going on in your community. Amongst the items on this Monday’s (3/3) meeting agenda are: the proposed tree replacements and enhancements in the Community Park and the area commonly referred to as Schroeder Field (intersection of Old County/Bayshore/Tunnel Ave.) and a presentation of the drawing set for the proposed Sierra Point Biotech Project. Click here to see public notices, staff reports, EIR information, and presentations relative to the project (the below drawing and others are located within the first bullet point under "Staff Reports").

Proposed Site Plan of Sierra Point, by DES Architects + Engineers, Inc.

Civic engagement is a choice…so make it YOURS today and get engaged!

What's Blogworthy in Brisbane

A series of home burglaries have been reported in the past few weeks, leading Brisbane Police to urge residents to be on the lookout for suspicious people, cars, and activity. All of these incidents involved homes where doors and windows were left unlocked, thus allowing someone to enter the home with little effort. In some of these occurrences, light, easy-to-carry items have been taken. These episodes have occurred both during daytime and nighttime hours.

Most suspects committing this type of crime are not skilled professionals, and they will take advantage of an easy target when given the opportunity. Don’t make it easy for them. Please lock your windows and doors when you are not at home and check that your windows and doors are securely locked before you go to bed at night. Remember, you are the eyes and ears of our community and we depend on you to call the police when you see or hear something that is out of the ordinary. The number to call would be Police Dispatch, by dialing 9-1-1.

Below are some Burglary Prevention Tips worth your review:

1. Lock your doors every time you leave the house, even if it’s just for a few minutes during the day. The most popular times for residential burglaries are weekday daylight hours. In over 1/3 of burglaries, there is no forcible entry--someone forgot to lock the doors.

2. Keep garage doors closed and locked.

3. Secure sliding doors and windows. Cut a broom handle to the length of the bottom track so that the window or door will not slide open when forced. Also, drill one hole through both casings and sliding window and insert a nail or pin.

4. Mark or take photos of your property. Mark your valuables with an engraver or take photos of them. Doing this protects your property and serves as a deterrent to would-be burglars and it helps police in identifying and returning stolen property. Make a property identification list. Put warning stickers on doors and windows.

5. Purchase a burglar alarm. A home alarm system can be a very effective burglary deterrent and fit into many people's needs. Remember to test your system monthly.

7. Leave a light on. When leaving on trips, leave a light on in the bathroom. In the bedroom, attach a lamp and radio to a 24-hour electric timer set to go on at dusk and off at your bedtime. Close bedroom drapes or blinds.

8. Use proper exterior lighting. Place a light over every door. Install double cone lights on each corner of the house, as this will also light up windows.

9. Work together with your neighbors. When you are going to be away, tell trusted neighbors and ask them to watch your property. Contact the police department and request a house check of your residence while you are gone. Have someone pick up your newspapers and mail or place a hold on these services while you are away. Tell neighbors to call police if they notice anything suspicious.

10. Contact your police department if you hear or see anything unusual by calling Police Dispatch at 911.

By working together, we can each play a part in helping keep Brisbane the safe community it’s always been.

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Also blogworthy this week is the possibility of an upcoming eradication program being implemented for the Light Brown Apple Moth. You may recall that from a previous posting that there had been a federal quarantine order to try and curb the spread of the moth, seen as a major threat to California's $38 bil. agriculture industry. The new eradication program involves aerial applications of pheromone for mating disruption for all Peninsula cities located near the coastline, which of course includes Brisbane. This action plan is scheduled to begin August 1, 2008. If you want to receive e-mail updates from California Dept. of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), please click here. There is also a link on that page you can click on to read more about the proposed eradication/action plan. A public scoping meeting is set to take place in San Francisco this coming Monday (2/25) from 6:00 - 8:00 PM at the SF County Fair Building Auditorium (located next to the Aboretum). More detailed information can be found in a news release by the CDFA.

Energy-Saving Innovations

This past Monday, the Wall Street Journal printed a special section titled, “Nine Cities, Nine Ideas.” The link to the section was passed from an individual heading up the Climate Protection Task Force for Northern CA agencies, which includes local governments. Take a look at the innovative ways nine cities around the world are getting a handle on their energy consumption…and their utility bills. While you’re there, test your Energy IQ by taking their 10-question quiz, read up on all the latest breakthroughs in the industry (hear yet of the surge in “green-collar” jobs?), and see what renewable energy projects are being implemented around the world. And then ask yourself, what are some things you can do to cut down on your home’s energy usage? We can all do something, even if that something is just replacing existing incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) – which, did you know, use approximately 75% less electricity? Well, if not, then you’ll have to see for yourself!

The City, recognizing its environmental stewardship role, put solar panels up at the Community Pool in early 2006 and has recently been using an alternative fuel (battery-operated) vehicle in the Public Works Dept. Also, if you look hard enough, you may also spot a small electric vehicle that is used for valve and hydrant maintenance up in the more narrow streets of Central Brisbane. When it comes to energy conservation, there are ways for everyone to do their share, as every little bit counts!

City Council Special Meeting this Monday, 2/11

Two resolutions regarding the Northeast Ridge will be discussed during this Monday’s City Council meeting, scheduled to begin promptly at 7:30 PM in the Community Center. The first has to do with certifying the 2007 Addendum to the 1983 Environmental Impact Report on the Northeast Ridge residential development, and addressing how the adverse impacts identified in the 1983 and 1989 Addendum would be reduced. The second resolution calls for approval of a modification to the Vesting Tentative Map (VTM), also regarding the Northeast Ridge residential development (Unit II). These resolutions are being brought before the City Council, with the basis that no new significant environmental effects would occur as a result of the changes proposed in the 2007 VTM. This is supported through the analysis contained in the environmental checklist, found in Appendix A of the 2007 Addendum.

The City of Brisbane is highly aware of its role as an environmental steward to the Conserved Habitat on the Mountain, which no doubt calls for additional funding if habitat conservation activities on the entire San Bruno Mountain are able to become reality. This, of course, is what all of us in Brisbane desire for the future of the Mountain…so join the discussion and let’s see how we can head in that direction, together as a community.

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Following up from last week’s post on the sewage spill in Marin County, a few local beaches are still closed due to elevated levels of indicator bacteria. You can click here to see an interactive map of the status of the affected beaches.

Sewage Spill in Marin County

At approximately 6:30 PM, a 2.7 million gallon sewage spill occured yesterday in Richardson Bay (Marin County). By direction of the Governor's Office of Emergency Services, a notice to all local jurisdictions in the Bay Area was sent the following morning.

All of the 2.7 million gallons had been partially treated (50% primary and 50% secondary). The possibility that this spill will affect San Mateo County Beaches is non-existent. However, to ensure our coast and bay beaches are not impacted and thus causing public health concerns, San Mateo County Environmental Health, in cooperation with the SurfRider Foundation, will be sampling beaches on Monday and Tuesday of next week. Should these samples indicate elevated counts of bacteria, Environmental Health will take appropriate actions.

Should you have any questions or concerns, please direct them to Dean D. Peterson, Director of Environmental Health, at (650) 363-4968. The City will also be providing any updates that are received from the County, hopefully sometime early next week.

Recent and Upcoming Brisbane Happenings

Tomorrow marks for a special evening in Brisbane, as it will be the 6th annual Artists' Evening of Sharing. Come connect with your fellow residents and see the immense level of talent that resides in your community members!

With Safety being one of the values which the City Council has adopted for the community, Public Works determined that the Lipman Tennis Courts needed to be closed again due to additional earth movement on the hillside behind the courts. At this point, the tennis courts will be closed at least through the winter rains. As you may recall, we had to close the courts at a similar time last year for a period of time until we determined that the hillside had stopped moving and we were able to adjust the court size to a smaller area to avoid the slide section. The Brisbane School District anticipates restoring the courts this summer, at which time reopening of the tennis courts will be considered. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, but fortunately, there are still the tennis courts @ Mission Blue for which you can practice your split-step and slices on!

A reminder that this Monday's City Council Meeting will be concerning Land Use and also is the final General Plan update meeting until adoption hearings take place later this year. It is the goal of all those involved in the General Plan update process to conserve the small-town atmosphere that residents and employees of Brisbane highly favor, as well as highlight areas that add to that community sense and pride of place. The end-product of an exhaustive public input process is fast-approaching...so with that said, come and join the discussion!