Public Works Project Updates

Today marked the third day of slurry sealing, with most of the roadways slated to be resurfaced in Central Brisbane, completed today. The rest of the scheduled roadways will receive their resurfacing work next Tuesday after the July 4th holiday, with the last day of slurry sealing taking place on Saturday, July 10th. On that day, Old County Rd. and Visitacion Ave. will be resurfaced and sealed, starting at around 7:00am and continuing to approximately 7:00pm. A single lane of traffic will be in effect for the entire day. Please exercise caution when driving though the construction site.

Also, we wanted to inform the community that a Project Hotline has been set up for the upcoming LED Street Light Replacement Project, scheduled to start on July 6th and continue for several weeks. No streets will be closed for this project, but please use caution if you see any traffic control set up around the contractor's vehicle. If you have any inquiries about the project after reading the Project Information Sheet, please call (415) 508-2148 to leave a message and your call will be returned as quickly as possible.

Brisbane: A Starry, Well-Lighted Place

It's not just during the Holidays that the stars shine in Brisbane. Last night, one shone especially brightly. That was retiring Brisbane Police Chief, Tom Hitchcock. Many folks from all over the County came to Brisbane to wish Tom a joyous and happy retirement, including Colma Police Chief Bob Lotti (congratulating Tom below) and Capt. Mark Hanlon, from the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office.

After many words of praise from his colleagues, including Brisbane City Manager Clay Holstine, and Tom's acceptance of plaques from Senator Leland Yee's office and Assemblymember Jerry Hill's office, as well as from the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors and SMC Sheriff's Office, Tom approached the podium to address his City Council (bringing his winning personality and sense of humor with him).

Each of the Councilmembers along with Mayor Conway recounted their fondness of working with Tom, how he has built the Police Department into the community-oriented agency it is today, and how he exemplified true care for the Brisbane community as the City's Police Chief.

This may be the end of Tom's tenure as Police Chief, but his leadership and management style will still be seen in Brisbane. Not only will Tom be brought back for assistance on special projects, but he has prepared Commander Lisa Macias to be able to step into the role of Police Chief. She starts in her new position on July 5, 2010. The City congratulates Tom on his 39 years dedicated to public safety, 22 of them having been with the City of Brisbane!

In addition to Brisbane's stars shining especially brightly, its street lights will soon be, too. Starting next Tuesday, July 6th, the streets of Brisbane will be on their way to becoming better illuminated, thanks to the retrofit of approximately 400 “cobra head” street lights in Brisbane from High-pressure sodium vapor (HPSV) to LED.

Funding for the project has been secured through a 1% loan offered through the California Energy Commission, which the City will be paying back through energy savings. The annual energy and maintenance savings generated by moving from HPSVs to LEDs amounts to approximately $14,000 and $11,000, respectively. $14,000 will be used annually to pay off the loan amount, with $11,000 in savings going towards the City’s general fund. The 1% loan will be supplemented with a $25,000 Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) and nearly $29,000 in PG&E rebates. The loan will be completely paid off in 15 years.

The retrofit will include nearly all of the streetlights in Brisbane, as well as a portion of those located in the Sierra Point Shared Use Parking Lot. The decorative lights on Visitacion and those in the Northeast Ridge will not be replaced at this time. Retrofitting Brisbane street lights helps reduce the community’s ecological footprint, with street lights representing over a third of the City’s energy consumption. This is a prime example of a win-win-win change. Not only do we reduce our energy consumption and save our community money, but we also provide increased lighting quality to our community.

For more information on the LED Street Light Project, please click here to be taken to the project's Information Sheet.

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!