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Redwood City E-News
Building a Great Community Together
Issue #14 ~ September, 2004
IN THIS ISSUE:
*City Prepares Alternative Bair Island Restoration Plan*
*Two Concerts Remain for “Live in Downtown” – September 3 and 10*
*Fall Hours and Programs at Redwood City Library*
*City Sponsors Wellness Festival – September 18*
*Forbes Magazine Names Redwood City as One of Top Five Places to Get Rich*
*Residential Street Resurfacing Underway*
*Fall Cleanup of City Parks - October 2*
*Free Compost for Your Garden – October 9*
*Dial 511 for Transportation Information*
*Announcing RCTV – Redwood City Television*
*Picnic Site Reservations Now Available*
*About Redwood City E-News*
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City Prepares Alternative Bair Island Restoration Plan
Bair Island is one of the nation’s premier urban wildlife refuges, cherished by the citizens of Redwood City, the peninsula, and the entire region. No doubt many readers of Redwood City E-News have frequented this natural treasure.
The protection of this irreplaceable wildlife refuge is of utmost importance to Redwood City, which as been actively involved with the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) through the lengthy process that will lead to the restoration of tidal wetlands and natural habitat of the island.
The FWS/NWRS plan and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the restoration have been drafted. An ad-hoc committee of the Council found that the FWS plan well-addresses the environmental and habitat issues, and would benefit from a stronger element to incorporate Bair Island’s value to the community as a low-intensity recreational destination. In light of this, and the committee’s desire to partner with the FWS, the NWRS, and the community, an alternative and complementary plan is being produced by the City which will offer full protection to Bair Island’s inherent environmental features and habitat values, while providing enhancements in the opportunity for low-intensity public access to and appreciation of the island’s unique qualities.
The public comment period for the FWS/NWRS plan began on Friday, August 27th, and the Plan is available through the Federal Register (www.gpoaccess.gov/fr). The City’s restoration plan is in development and will be discussed and offered for City Council approval at its meeting on Monday, September 13th 2004, in City Hall at 1017 Middlefield Road, beginning at 7 pm. Then, the FWS will be holding a public hearing on its restoration plan on Wednesday, September 22nd at 7 pm in the Redwood Room of Veterans Memorial Senior Center, 1455 Madison Avenue in Redwood City.
Members of the public are encouraged to attend both the September 13th City Council meeting and the September 22nd FWS public hearing at which both the FWS restoration plan and the City’s complementary plan will be discussed.
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Two Concerts Remain for “Live in Downtown”
Redwood City ’s free downtown summer concert series has been extended by one week, so there are two free shows remaining – bring the family and enjoy live, free music as we say goodbye to summer:
Friday, September 3 featuring Orquesta de Sol;
Friday, September 10 with Steve Lucky & the Rhumba Bums (see their website at www.luckylounge.com).
The Live in Downtown concert series takes place from 6 to 8 pm in the City Center Plaza, right next to City Hall at 1017 Middlefield Road, across the street from the main library.
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Fall Hours and Programs at Redwood City Library
Here is an update on the hours of operation for the Redwood City libraries, and information on some of the programs taking place.
Main Library hours:
Monday through Thursday, 10 am – 9 pm
Friday and Saturday, 10 am – 5 pm
Sunday, 1– 5 pm
Teen Homework Center (at Main Library) hours:
Monday through Thursday, 4– 7 pm.
The Local History Room (at Main Library) hours:
Tuesdays noon - 9 pm
Wednesdays, 4 - 9 pm
Thursdays, noon - 6 pm
Fair Oaks Library hours:
Monday through Thursday 10 am – 7 pm
Friday, 10 am – 5 pm
Closed Saturday and Sunday
Redwood Shores Virtual Library at Sandpiper Community Center hours:
Monday through Friday, 9 am – 9 pm
Saturday, 9 am – 5 pm
Closed Sunday
The Library’s "AskNow" program provides immediate and reliable information from librarians throughout California 24 hours a day, 7 days a week: www.asknow.org. For more information, contact the reference desk at (650) 780-7026 at the Redwood City Main Library or visit www.redwoodcity.org/library.
Celebrate the Centennial of master storyteller Isaac Bashevis Singer as the library presents, “Becoming an American Writer: The Life and Works of Isaac Bashevis Singer.” Enjoy this storytelling and literature program on Thursday, September 9th, from 7:30 – 9 pm, in the community room of the Main Library. This year marks the centennial for Singer, who became the seventh American to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1978.
The Singer centennial celebration features a multifaceted program of public readings, panels, exhibitions, and workshops exploring Singer and the immigrant literary experience across the United States.
Featured in Redwood City are Erica Lann-Clark who will perform a medley of stories by Isaac Bashevis Singer; and Dr. Naomi Seidman who will discuss how Singer fared with translations of his work from Yiddish into English – which can unwittingly transform the meaning of a story.
For more information about Singer events nationwide, including a complete calendar of events, please visit www.singer100.org. Please see the library’s website at www.redwoodcity.org for a complete listing of the many programs and events available for kids, families, teens, and seniors.
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City Sponsors Wellness Festival September 18
On Saturday, September 18th Redwood City Parks, Recreation and Community Services, will host its 3rd Annual Wellness Festival from 10:00 am until 3 pm. The Festival will take place throughout Red Morton Park and the Veterans Building located at 1455 Madison Avenue in Redwood City.
The Redwood City Community Wellness Festival promotes healthy living styles in our community, for people of all ages, lifestyles, and interests. It is the City’s goal that the community will embrace healthy living patterns by enrolling in more recreation programs, utilize more community services, and become more active with the community in general.
With over 60 vendor booths, informational tables, fitness demonstration, children’s activities and more, this free festival promises to be an exciting, informative, and fun event for the entire Redwood City community. With Kaiser Permanente as a major sponsor of this year’s Community Wellness Festival, there will be many on-site, health-related services such as chiropractors, massage therapists, blood pressure testing, hearing screening, Reiki treatments and more.
San Mateo Credit Union, the Peninsula Foundation and other organizations are also major sponsors of this event. Local bands will provide an array of music and demonstrations from local fitness instructors will be available to lead the community in a variety of different types of fitness activities. Food vendors will also complement the event by providing healthy alternative lunches at low cost.
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Forbes Magazine Names Redwood City as One of Top Five Places to Get Rich
Forbes Magazine recently came out with a list of the best cities in the U.S. in which to get rich – and Redwood City was #5 nationwide, just above New York City! See the Forbes article at www.forbes.com/2004/05/07/cx_bs_0507home_print.html and click on the picture "Best Places To Get Rich" for more details.
We also scored very high in a number of other critical economic factors, summarized here: ranking for venture capital activity: 9th; ranking for the number of active venture capital firms: 11th; ranking for the number of Forbes 400 members who live around the area: 2nd; ranking for education of workforce: 1st. Bragging rights are available here!
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Residential Street Resurfacing Underway
As part of our ongoing roadway preventative maintenance program, the City has scheduled resurfacing projects on a number of neighborhood streets. This work will result in smoother, safer, improved roadways, but will cause some inconvenience to residents and motorists in these areas during construction.
Neighborhoods are being notified when work is scheduled in their specific areas, and are being provided with details about what work will take place, its duration, and information on how to help make it a problem-free construction project. The work began on August 30, and is expected to conclude by the end of October.
The short-term inconvenience primarily consists of a requirement to keep cars off the street entirely during certain portions of the work, and to park cars off street for approximately two days after the work. It’s expected that during the main part of the work, streets will be reopened to traffic by 5:00 pm.
The list of streets undergoing this resurfacing is available online at www.redwoodcity.org/manager/news/2004/Street%20Resurface%202004.pdf (pdf).
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Fall Cleanup of City Parks – October 2
Redwood City ’s annual Fall Cleanup kicks off at 8:30 am on Saturday, October 2, 2004! The public is invited to show their community pride by spending a few hours joining with others to help clean up groups of our City parks. Volunteers should meet at 8:30 am at the City’s Public Works Services building, located at 1400 Broadway (corner of Broadway and Woodside Road). Please call 650-780-7308 for more information.
This year, the fall focus will be on cleaning groups of City parks:
- Hoover/Andrew Spinas/Jardin de Ninos
- Marlin/Dolphin/Sandpiper Parks
- Palm/Linden/Fleishman
- Red Morton/Maddux
- Stafford/Mezes/Dove Beeger
- Stulsaft/Westwood/Garret
On the same day, Norcal will sponsor the Great Mulch Giveaway. Mulch is an excellent addition to existing soil, and also makes a great groundcover to help with weed and erosion control. On October 2 and 3, members of the Redwood City community can bring 2 or 3 trash cans, bags, boxes, or other containers to the Public Works Services parking lot and load up with free mulch – a limited supply will be shared among our community’s neighbors on a first-come, first-served basis.
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Free Compost for Your Garden – October 9
RethinkWaste is teaming up with its member communities, including Redwood City, to give away compost on Saturday, October 9, 2004. In Redwood City, the free compost will be provided at the Public Works Services parking lot, 1400 Broadway, between the hours of 8 am and 12 noon.
The compost is made from yard trimmings collected at the curb from communities every other week, and composted at a nearby composting facility.
Residents in the communities of Redwood City, Atherton, Belmont, Burlingame, East Palo Alto, Fair Oaks, Foster City, Menlo Park, San Carlos, and San Mateo may take up to 1 cubic yard of compost (about six full garbage cans) at no charge at selected locations while supplies last. Proof of residency is required.
For more information and a complete list of the locations of all member communities’ free compost giveaways, please visit www.rethinnkwaste.org.
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Dial 511 for Transportation Information
You may have seen freeway signs mentioning “511” – it’s a comprehensive traveler information service and travel planning tool provided by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.
It’s available on the phone by dialing 511, or on the web at www.511.org. The service provides up-to-the-minute information on driving times and traffic conditions, transportation alternatives, public transit, fares, ridesharing referrals, bicycle information and more.
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Announcing RCTV – Redwood City Television
Redwood City is now broadcasting on its own cable television channel, entitled RCTV, providing the residents of Redwood City with interesting and useful local municipal programming. Residences with cable provided by RCN can view RCTV on channel 26. Those residences which have Comcast as their cable provider will find RCTV on channel 27.
RCTV is broadcasting as a service to the community of Redwood City. The current programming (see www.redwoodcity.org/rctv) consists of videos and ‘PowerPoint’ presentations covering a variety of subjects, including:
- Tips for safe disposal of household hazardous waste
- An overview of the Redwood City Parks Department
- A bulletin board with community and event information
- An overview of the City’s code enforcement program
- A feature on the Redwood City Library foundation
- Videos on our watershed, and on less-toxic home pest control
- An overview of the downtown retail-cinema project
- And more!
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Picnic Site Reservations Now Available
Up until now, park visitors sometimes had difficulty ensuring that a picnic site was available at one of Redwood City’s more popular parks. Sometimes, park-goers would even get up before the crack of dawn to run out to their favorite park and sit on a table to reserve the spot. Others would take a chance, and keep their fingers crossed hoping for an available picnic table to accommodate a dozen friends for a fun day in the park. Those difficulties are over as Redwood City is now accepting picnic reservations.
Eight beautiful Redwood City parks have picnic areas available to reserve until October 31st of this year, and beginning again in March of 2005 (March 1st to October 31st is the Parks Department’s designated picnic season). The parks where picnic reservations may be made are: Red Morton, Stulsaft, Stafford, Mezes, Spinas, Hoover, Marlin, and Shorebird. All of these City parks have bathrooms, tables, and other great park amenities to ensure a wonderful picnic with family and friends.
It only costs $10 to reserve a picnic spot (non-residents pay an additional $10 fee), and reservation requests may be made by calling 780-7327 or by sending an e-mail to picnics@redwoodcity.org. For more information on the great variety of Redwood City parks and their amenities, please visit www.redwoodcity.org/parks.
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