The City received an SMC Alert this morning about there being an ammonia release today in South San Francisco, east of 101. Our firefighters were one of the crews who responded to the call. Thankfully, the situation is under control, with there being no threat to the community or environment. If you haven't yet signed up to receive SMC Alerts through the County, we would highly suggest you do so. Should phone and power lines become compromised in a disaster, text messages may be your only form of communication. Sign up here and keep abreast of what's happening in the places you most frequently travel though and to.

After tonight, there will only be two Concerts left in this summer's series. Premier party band Night Fever will be performing tonight here in Brisbane starting at 6:00pm. They've put our name in lights, so it's a pretty sign they'll be putting on a great show tonight for us. But don't take our word for it...come on down to the Community Park and see for yourselves!

Many thanks to all our Sponsors for Concerts in the Park - your support allows Brisbane's small-town atmosphere to really flourish as residents connect with one another and enjoy the Concert series together. Thank You!!

Channel 27 Now Streaming Live on the City's Website

Ever wish you could make it to a City Council meeting but work or family matters were preventing you from doing so? Well have no fear...now you can log on to the City's website to view live streaming of Channel 27. Public meetings can be viewed when they are being televised live or during the scheduled replays. Click here to begin watching today!

Note: the next public meeting that will be broadcast live will be the Planning Commission meeting, taking place tomorrow at 7:30pm. City Council meetings resume on September 21st.

Also, in the previous entry, we told you about an e-waste collection that we're conducting on Wednesday Sept. 2nd in partnership with our neighbors, KTSF. If you have any e-waste to dispose of, please:

1. Make sure it is either a laptop, computer, monitor, or television - other electronics are not being collected at this time.
2. Bring it into the City Hall lobby next Wednesday, September 2nd. Ask for Caroline when you come. As a reminder, City Hall is open on Wednesdays from 8:00am - 8:00pm, so you'll have plenty of time to drop off your e-waste on that day. If you have any questions, please call 508-2157. Thanks in advance for your cooperation, and participation!

Corralling all the Latest Brisbane News Bits

Ever wonder where to leave your bike or scooter when visiting the Library? Well, with the recent revamping work done by the Public Works department, there is now a dedicated space to do just that in the area below the Brisbane Library ramp. Signs like this one direct two-wheeled enthusiasts there.

Please utilize the new bike corral to keep your bikes safe and out of harm's way for those using the walkway. We appreciate your cooperation in helping make the area more safe for library patrons and those headed to the Community Center.

Every year, San Mateo County hosts Disaster Preparedness Day, where individuals and families can go to receive the latest prepardness information. The event is usually held at the San Mateo Expo Center, but this year it will be taking place further north, and much closer to Brisbane! Head to South San Francisco High School on Sept. 12th from 10am - 2pm and learn how you can better prepare yourself and your family for the next major disaster. Plus, it's a FREE event and a free gift awaits the first 500 families that show up! Click here for more information.

For those of you who have old laptops, computers, monitors, or televisions you'd like to

dispose of, we're partnering with our

neighbors, KTSF, and having an e-waste collection on Wednesday September 2nd. Bring your old equipment down to the lobby in City Hall and ask for Caroline. She'll make sure your e-waste is properly disposed of. By participating in this e-waste collection, you'll also save yourselves the $20 per TV/monitor fee, so start clearing up that officespace and dispose of all that clutter!

We're more than halfway through our Concerts in the Park line-up, so take advantage of tonight's soulful blend of classic rock and R&B that will be performed by the Cole Tate Band. The concert starts at 6pm so be there as it's the perfect way to unwind into the weekend!

Neighborhood (Inter)connections

At about 1:30am on July 23rd, a four-alarm fire broke out at the South San Francisco plant of Columbus Foods in South San Francisco. Flames at the facility, where the company slices and packages a wide range of cured meat products, were so intense that SSF firefighters had to retreat from the building and set up elevated hoses so that water could be poured from above and onto the burning roof. To help fight the blaze, SSF crews were joined by those from Brisbane, Daly City, Burlingame, and San Mateo. But that’s not the only way that neighboring cities were able to help get this blaze under control.

South San Francisco, itself a part of California Water Service Company’s (Cal Water) Bayshore District, gets its water from the City and County of San Francisco (SFPUC) as well as five groundwater sources (aka, wells). Due to the extreme intensity of the Columbus Foods fire that morning, the battalion chief at the scene quickly called Cal Water and requested all the water and pressure the District could provide. However it wasn’t long before Cal Water's water storage and system pressure dropped to critical levels. Another water source was needed…and needed fast.

That’s when the Brisbane Water Dept. received the call for help. Dale Allen and Ramiro Ibarra, two of the Public Works employees on the City’s Water Team, quickly headed down to Sierra Point, where they met Cal Water foreman Bob Pagano at one of the City’s emergency water interconnection sites – this one along Shoreline Court (the City has three total water interconnections, the other two being tied in with Daly City’s water distribution system). As you can begin to see, having three water interconnections with two other service agencies provides Brisbane and its neighboring cities a mutual level of pre-planned support.

And this was exactly the case the morning of July 23rd. Using a 12-ft. valve key, Dale and Ramiro assisted the Cal Water foreman with opening the interconnection between Brisbane and Cal Water, allowing high-pressure water to flow through Brisbane’s 16” interconnection pipe to South San Francisco, and ultimately to the firefighters who were in desperate need of it.

Ramiro and Dale with the valve key they used to turn on the emergency interconnection on Shoreline Court.

Placing the valve key on a 2” square bolt saves the Water Team a trip down here.

The demarcations on this joint meter indicate which direction water normally flows.

Ramiro and Dale demonstrate they’re ready to assist our neighbors when it comes to providing additional water resources.

Thanks to the quick response of Dale and Ramiro, and the close collaboration between them and Cal Water personnel, 750,000 gallons of water was transferred to SSF, supplementing the fire flow necessary to successfully fight a four-alarm fire. Kudos to you both and all the firefighters involved in fighting this fire. This event highlighted how a tiny town could actually do a lot to help out, with the result being a continued, secured relationship with our neighbors (or, maybe in this case, a procured relationship).

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The Annual "Day in the Park" festival is just around the corner and that means the Brisbane Derby is, too. Check out last year's First Place Winners!

First place winner Jacob Pubill, 8 and Under Division

First place winner Angelina Dempsey, 9 and Over Division

The Parks and Rec. department is now accepting race entries, so if you're between the ages of 7 - 14 years old and a Brisbane resident, you qualify as a derby contender! For more information, or if you'd like to be a Derby Sponsor, call Recreation Supervisor Russ Carmick at 508-2143.

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Concerts in the Park continues tonight with the rock 'n' roll dance band Brother Buzz taking the stage. Having played together for over 15 years, these four guys are sure to put on a great concert, kicking off at 6:00pm. So come on down to the Community Park and get ready to have a rockin' good time. It's a great chance to connect with others in the community, too!

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But whatever we do this weekend, it's important to be safe. Practicing smart emergency planning is even better. Realizing that getting started is oftentimes the hard part, the Brisbane Office of Emergency Services prepares a "Tip of the Month" for you. Check out this month's tip by clicking here and see how you and your family can become prepared for the next major disaster.

Inquiring minds want to know...

How's the City doing financially?

Brisbane is in a good spot, thanks to the decisions made by previous Brisbane Council and staff. For one, wise investment practices prevented Brisbane from losing any funds after the collapse of Lehman Brothers, which unfortunately, didn't pan out to be the case for other cities. Also, previous and current Councils made it a priority to set aside and maintain a reserve of $10,000,000 for economic and natural emergencies. Part of this reserve was accumulated by the City making the decision to continue setting aside retirement funds for their employees (foreseeing the unavoidable rise in pension costs), rather than taking the stance of other cities who stopped doing so. They instead followed the State, who perceived the State pension fund to be performing well in the stock market that setting aside funds would be unnecessary. You can say that Brisbane went against the grain here, but it was that act along with other similar, prudent choices, that enabled the City to be in the financial standing it is today...thankfully able to continue providing core services to the community it serves.

In addition to continuing to provide core services such as public safety (police, fire, water and sewer services) and recreation programs most important to our citizens, the City will be offering a brand-new service to better serve the community, and which comes at no additional cost to the City! Beginning next Weds., Aug. 12th, the City will begin televising the Open Space & Ecology meetings on Ch. 27. The cameras will also be rolling during the Parks, Beaches and Recreation meetings, which will begin airing on Ch. 27 Weds. Sept. 2nd. Check out Ch. 27's programming schedule for broadcast times.

What's happening with that 'cash for clunkers' program?

Well just a month after President Obama signed in this $1 bil. bill, meant to bring the U.S. auto industry back to its pre-recession levels, and it running less than 1 week, the program has received approval from both the House and Senate for another $2 bil. after having depleted all of its original funding. This is expected to keep the temporary program running through Labor Day and spur about 500,000 new auto sales on top of the 250,000 already completed. So. If you've been contemplating that new hybrid or other high fuel efficiency vehicle, now may be a good time to go for it. Owners of old cars that cannot achieve above 18mpg are eligible for a $3,500 voucher towards the purchase of a new car that is at least 4mpg more efficient. Up to $4,500 is available to those who improve their gas mileage figures by 10mpg or more. Sounds good, doesn't it? Check out the official cars.gov website to learn more!

Who's playing tonight at Concerts in the Park?

Livewire gave a stellar performance last week, and the Houserockers are sure to follow suit tonight! So bring your dinner and a lawn chair and enjoy this free concert with great friends and family! It's sure to be a rockin' 'ol time. Check out the line-up of upcoming performances by clicking here. All concerts are FREE so be sure to come out on Fridays @ 6:oopm to the Community Park to find yourself in the hottest summer spot in Brisbane!