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Redwood City E-News
Building a Great Community Together
Issue #20 ~ March, 2005
(Back to index of all issues)
IN THIS ISSUE:
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The Forum Presents: "The World's Best and Worst Parks"
On Wednesday, March 2, 6:00 to 7:45 pm, renowned “placemaking” expert Fred Kent will be speaking on “The World’s Best and Worst Parks.” Please join us for a provocative discussion examining why some parks succeed as lively public spaces while others fail.
Fred Kent will show examples of the great parks and public spaces of the world, as well as some places that are in his “Hall of Shame.” Mr. Kent will discuss why the great places are successful, why the bad are not, and how the principles of great places can be applied to our cities and towns to improve life in the Bay Area.
The Forum takes place at the Little Fox Theater, 2209 Broadway, in downtown Redwood City. Doors open at 5:30 pm and the cost is $10 per person, payable at the door. An optional no-host dinner with the presenter and other participants will be held following the Forum for those wishing to continue the discussion.
The Forum at Redwood City brings nationally-known speakers and presenters to Downtown Redwood City for in-depth dialogues on city design issues, providing an on-going venue for professional-level education and dialogue about urban design issues, today’s hottest urban design topics, and most cutting-edge techniques. More information is available by calling 650-780-7363.
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Spring Cleanup Day – March 12
Redwood City’s annual Spring Cleanup will focus on making the Spruce Street Pedestrian Overcrossing (over the railroad tracks) more inviting and attractive for the neighbors who use it every day. It’s a great opportunity for volunteers to show their civic pride by joining others to get rid of trash, remove weeds, clean up graffiti, and make the overcrossing shine!
It takes place on Saturday March 12, 2005. Volunteers should meet at 8:30 am at the City’s Public Works Services building, located at 1400 Broadway (near Broadway and Woodside Road). After a complimentary continental breakfast, clean-up teams will move out and descend on the Spruce Street Pedestrian Overcrossing, trash bags in hand, to upgrade the look of this well-used bridge. At noon, volunteers will meet for a special free lunch as a ‘thank you’ for showing their civic pride. Both the continental breakfast and the lunch are being generously donated by the San Mateo Credit Union, and other materials are provided by Norcal Waste Systems of San Mateo County. Please call 650-780-7300 for more information.
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Experience the Civil Rights ”Long Walk to Freedom” Exhibit at the Library
Overwhelming” ... "Awesome”…"Impressive”…”Incredible” – these are just a few of the words that visitors to the “Long Walk to Freedom” exhibit in Redwood City have used to describe this overview of our country’s civil rights struggle.
Filled with incredible detail, this large-scale public art and education project takes visitors through a chronological history of the struggle for equal rights and justice among African Americans and minorities in the United States. With a series of personal stories from 26 civil rights activists who changed the face of our nation, historical and contemporary photographic portraits, archival materials, rare historical photos, a graphic timeline, student writing, and video, this display is a truly inspiring look at a difficult part of our history; one which is still unfolding today.
This exhibit will be in place at the Redwood City Downtown Library through April 17th 2005. The Library is located at 1044 Middlefield Road in Redwood City. “The Long Walk to Freedom” exhibit was installed as part of Redwood City’s annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration in January, and helps to bring Dr. King’s and others’ civil rights messages to a new generation, and to carry forward his legacy of seeking equality among all people.
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Picnic Site Reservations Start March 1
The official picnic season is about to begin in Redwood City, and park visitors can make reservations to ensure their place in the sun.
Eight beautiful Redwood City parks have picnic areas available to reserve starting on March 1 and continuing through October 31st (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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Presentation on Making a Pedestrian-Friendly Community – March 28
Mr. Dan Burden is a nationally-acclaimed pedestrian, bicycle, traffic calming, and livable communities expert, and we’re bringing him to Redwood City to discuss what we need to provide healthy streets in our communities.
His presentation will cover how to do a complete checkup, diagnosis, and overall health analysis of our neighborhood and town center streets to restore them to health, by utilizing the latest innovations in street design and new approaches to creating more pedestrian-friendly communities. Our goal is to help provide the neighborhoods with the tools to bring back full and vital health to our neighborhood and town center streets.
This will be a workshop presentation at the City Council meeting on Monday, March 28 2005, starting at 7:00 pm in the Council Chambers in City Hall (1017 Middlefield Road).
Mr. Burden is the current Director of Walkable Communities, Inc., a current National Advisory Board Member of Active Living By Design, and the former Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator for the State of Florida Department of Transportation. He has taught bicycle and pedestrian facility design in hundreds of different communities throughout the nation and has personally photographed and examined walking and bicycling conditions in over 200 cities in the U.S. and abroad. As a consultant, planner, expert witness, author, and a nationally-recognized authority on bicycle and pedestrian facilities and programs.
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Redwood City Community Improvement Grants Available
City grants of up to $300 are available for community engagement projects, beautification, neighborhood participation activities, or other projects that bring people together and build community. The purpose of this grant program is to help people to implement their own creative ideas for making their street, block, neighborhood, or community a better place to live and work.
Eligible projects will have a positive impact and will offer an opportunity for neighbors to get to know one another and work together toward a common goal of community improvement and engagement. This program is one way the City is helping people to strengthen the foundation of the entire community.
More information and applications are available at the Office of the City Manager at 1017 Middlefield Road, by sending an email to mail@redwoodcity.org, or by calling the City Manager's office at 650-780-7300. You can also get information and an application online.
Applications will be reviewed once a month and applicants can expect to hear from the City within 45 days of receipt of the application.
Developing a community garden, publishing a neighborhood newsletter, organizing a block-wide beautification project, holding an annual block party or monthly pot luck dinners are just a few ideas – bring your own creative, fun, community-building ideas to the table and let the City help with some of the cost.
This grant program is for small projects - but many small projects together can offer big, positive changes for our community. Anyone with an idea for a community-building neighborhood project is urged to apply for a Redwood City Community Improvement Grant.
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Sign Up for Redwood City PACT!
Applications are now available for the spring, 2005 session of PACT (Partnership Academy for Community Teamwork). The deadline to submit an application is 5:00 pm, March 11, 2005.
You can get an application from the City Manager’s office, located in City Hall at 1017 Middlefield Road, or by calling 650-780-7300. The application is also available online. Enrollment is limited to 40 participants, and high-school aged youth are encouraged to apply (waiver must be signed by parent or guardian).
This nine-week citizens’ academy will provide participants with a hands-on overview of the management and governance of Redwood City, while helping to build relationships that will strengthen our entire community.
The Spring, 2005 program takes place each Thursday from April 7th through June 2nd and engages in dynamic and interesting activities illustrating how the City functions. The sessions cover subjects from Public Works to the Police Department, from the City Council to Finance, from the Fire Department to the Library, and more. This is a great opportunity for interested community members to get an insider’s view of where the City is going, become experts on how the City operates, and help to build a great community, together.
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City Seeks Applicants for Boards, Commissions
The City of Redwood City announces great opportunities for any adult resident interested in helping to build a great community! Applications are now available for several of the City’s appointed boards, commissions, and committees and members of the community are invited to offer their interest, experience, and enthusiasm for the benefit of their City.
Here are the boards, commissions, and committees for which the City is currently seeking applicants:
- Library Board
- Board of Port Commissioners
- Home Improvement Loan Committee
- Planning Commission
- Historic Resources Advisory Commission
(appointed by Planning Commission)
Further information and applications are available by calling the City Clerk’s office at 650-780-7220, on the City’s website, or by visiting the City Clerk’s office at City Hall, 1017 Middlefield Road, Redwood City. Applicants’ basic requirements are that they have an interest in civic and community improvement, are 18 years of age or older, are a United States citizen, and are a resident of incorporated Redwood City. The deadline for submitting applications is March 18, 2005.
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