Friday, March 30, 2018

MEDIAN MASTER PLAN APPROVED -
RED HILL MEDIAN RECEIVES FULL FUNDING

On Tuesday night, the Town Council approved the Median Master Plan which outlines plans to improve the medians along several of San Anselmo's primary roadways. The full staff report and master plan can be viewed here: http://sananselmo-ca.granicus.com/GeneratedAgendaViewer.php?view_id=1&event_id=368

Red Hill Median Project Receives Private Funding

A private donor has agreed to fund the full cost of the median renovations on Red Hill Avenue between Sequoia Road and Sir Francis Drake Blvd or "The Hub". This area, known as the Red Hill Median, has lost many of it's trees over the past decade. Of the 49 American Elm trees that existed in the median in 1999, only 10 of them remain. The trees have long suffered from Dutch Elm Disease, and according to an arborist's report, all of the remaining trees will eventually succumb to the disease and should be removed.

The new plan will include a variety of trees and other plantings selected from a palette of options suggested by a team of landscape professionals. The design also includes the development of bioswales within the median design. Bioswales are landscape elements designed to concentrate or remove debris and pollution out of surface runoff water. They consist of a swaled drainage course with gently sloped sides (less than 6%) and filled with vegetation, compost and/or riprap. This treatment will also provide bioretention which could help with localized flooding.

The Red Hill Median project will get underway this spring and is expected to be completed within the next twelve months. Although the donor has chosen to remain anonymous, please join us in sending along our sincere gratitude and appreciation for this greathearted gift to the community.

Town Council News

At their March 27, 2018 meeting, the Town Council took the following items:

- Approved minutes of March 13, 2018.

- Approval of Revenue and Expenditure Reports for the period ending February 28, 2018.

-Approval of Recreation Revenue and Expenditure Reports for the period ending February 28, 2018.

-Approved Resolution authorizing the Town Manager to negotiate and execute agreements with HdL Companies for revenue, audit and recovery services for Sales and Use Tax and Property Tax Services.

-Received Annual Report on General Plan and Housing Element and direct staff to send to State Department of Housing and Community Development

-Made appointments to Open Space Committee and Capital Programs Monitoring Committee.

-Recognized San Anselmo Resilient Neighborhoods Team for their work on reducing carbon emissions in San Anselmo and receive annual Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory, Climate Action Plan update, and Sustainability Commission report.

-Received update from the Economic Development Committee regarding the 2018-19 Economic Development Action Plan and the Wayfinding, Signage and Branding Program

-Approved the Median Master Plan and Authorized of the Town Manager to sign an Anonymous Donor Agreement for funding of the Red Hill Median.

- Acknowledged recommendation of the Capital Program Monitoring Committee and approved the 2016-17 Capital Expenditures Financial Reports for Measure D Fund, Capital Reconstruction Fund, Road Maintenance Fund and Grant Fund.

Living the Phrase 'Think Globally, Act Locally'

San Anselmo's First Resilient Neighborhoods Climate Action Team Group Celebrated

At their meeting on Tuesday night, the Town Council celebrated the graduation of San Anselmo’s first Resilient Neighborhoods Climate Action Team. Resilient Neighborhoods, an organization which brings people together and empowers them to do something about climate change, lower their bills, strengthen their communities, and prepare for emergencies. got off the ground in San Anselmo with workshops sponsored by the Library. This group attended five workshops over the course of ten weeks to learn about the actions they could take as individuals, as households and families, and as a community to help combat climate change.

Participants reduce their carbon footprint by taking simple actions like trimming energy and waste, conserving water, and making smarter transportation choices. To learn more about the Resilient Neighborhoods program and how you can become involved, visit http://www.resilientneighborhoods.org.

Night of the Poets

Thursday, April 26
7pm, Library Reading Room

In celebration of National Poetry Month, the
San Anselmo Public Library invites you to our 15th annual community poetry reading, Night of the Poets, on Thursday April 26 at 7pm. Poetry is meant to be read aloud and we invite community members of all ages to join in the fun by sharing a poem or listening to others recite.
The evening will include readings by celebrated local poets Prartho Sereno and Janet Jennings.

Registration begins on Monday, April 2. If you would like to share a poem (in 2 minutes or less) at Night of the Poets, sign up at the reference desk or email sleyland@townofsananselmo.org.

Art Talk Tuesday

Cult of the Machine
Tuesday, April 10
12pm, Council Chambers

Characterized by highly structured, geometric compositions with smooth surfaces, linear qualities, and lucid forms, Precisionism—a style that emerged in America in the 1920s and 1930s—reconciled realism with abstraction, and combined European and American art to create a streamlined, "machined" aesthetic with themes ranging from the urban and industrial to the pastoral. The tensions and ambivalences about industrialization expressed in works by the Precisionists are fascinating and relevant to a contemporary audience in the midst of a fourth Industrial Revolution. Julia Geist, a docent from the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, will explore the connections between the past and the present through the masterworks of American Precisionism artists.

Street Smarts is coming to San Anselmo!

Are you Street Smart? San Anselmo is participating Street Smarts - an educational campaign to promote safe driving, biking, and walking here in Marin County. Look for the Street Smarts banners in April through June. Additionally, a limited number of lawn signs with the Street Smarts messages are available to citizens on a first-come-first-serve basis. Contact us if you would like to get a lawn sign, or visit http://www.streetsmartsmarin.org for more information and educational materials.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES - Service to Your Community Available Seats on Boards and Commissions

Arts Commission – The Arts Commission provides a structure to facilitate the creation of art in all disciplines in the community, promoting and exhibiting art and cultural works produced by Ross Valley artists, and promoting art education in the community and schools. The Commission consists of eleven members, including youth members, and meets on the second Monday of the month at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers. There are four seats available. Persons from the Ross Valley are encouraged to apply.

Flood Committee – The charge of the Flood Committee is to serve as the Town’s expert representatives on flooding and storm water management issues, to become informed on the hydrologic conditions that affect flooding in San Anselmo, to evaluate possible solutions and to make recommendations to the Town Council. Applicants are recruited from professionals in the fields of engineering, hydrology, flood control and other areas of expertise that relate to the control of storm water. The committee consists of 7 members and meets on an as needed basis. There are two seats available.

Historical Commission – The Historical Commission was created to preserve the history of San Anselmo by means of research and the collection and organization of information, photographs and artifacts concerning the Town’s development. The Commission consists of eleven members, including youth members and meets at 7:30 p.m. on the third Wednesdays of the month in the Historical Museum, located on the first floor of the Library. There are two seats available.

Dog Park Steering Committee - The San Anselmo Dog Park Steering Committee exists to provide ongoing input to the Town of San Anselmo regarding the ongoing operation of the Red Hill Dog Park, and to serve in an advisory capacity to the Town regarding dog use issues at other Town parks. The Committee meetings every two months on the fourth Monday of the month at 5:00pm. There are two seats are available.

For more information or an application, please visit: http://www.townofsananselmo.org/175/Boards-Commissions
Applications for these openings should be submitted by Friday, April 13, 2018.

Upcoming Public Meetings

Monday, 04/02/18 - Planning Commission - Council Chambers 7 p.m.

MEDIAN MASTER PLAN APPROVED -RED HILL MEDIAN RECEIVES FULL FUNDING