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Redwood City E-News
Building a Great Community Together
Issue #27 ~ November, 2005
(Back to index of all issues)
IN THIS ISSUE:
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The Forum@Redwood City Presents:
“Creating and Managing a Thriving Entertainment District"
The Forum@Redwood City continues with a guest speaker on one of today’s most exciting, relevant, and visible subjects: creating and managing a vibrant downtown with a thriving entertainment district.
Don’t miss this Forum on Wednesday November 2nd, 2005 at 6:00 pm featuring Jim Peters, founder and president of the Responsible Hospitality Institute. Peters is a leading authority on legal and social trends impacting entertainment districts, such as the late-night habits of Gen Xers, the newly increasing nightlife participation of Baby Boomers, and the funky preferences of Generation Y and the creative class. Mr. Peters is a dynamic presenter with lots of insight into successful downtowns and entertainment districts, and his expertise has great relevance to Redwood City.
Mr. Peters will share the answers to such key questions as:
- When do you pick up the trash in an entertainment zone that is also a residential area? (Hint: not at 5 am).
- How do downtown merchants capitalize on a mixed-use location to compete with the “big boxes?”
- How do you police a multi-use area utilized by office workers, empty nesters, and skateboarders?
- What do your zoning codes need to include to ensure that entertainment, shopping, dining, workplaces, and housing can coexist peacefully?
This promises to be a most interesting and pertinent Forum, great for anyone interested in our downtown renaissance.
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. For more information call 650-780-7363.
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Special Screening of Documentary:
“First to Worst – the Roots of California’s Education Crisis”
The Redwood City Education Foundation (RCEF), a non-profit, all-volunteer foundation committed to providing quality education for the 8,000 students in 15 schools throughout the Redwood City School District, will present a free screening of an excellent primer for understanding the roots of California's current education crisis – “First to Worst.”
This powerful and enlightening documentary film by John Merrow focuses on what the State is doing to return the school system to the excellent academic performance of the 50s and 60s, and highlights ways that communities in California can financially assist their local schools district wide. The Redwood City community is invited to this screening and a community discussion:
- WHEN: Tuesday, November 15th starting at 7:00 pm
- WHERE: McKinley Institute of Technology auditorium, 400 Duane Street, Redwood City
Following the movie, a panel of knowledgeable experts from various areas of education will engage in a community discussion moderated by Mark Simon, an award-winning local journalist who has covered state and local politics for over thirty years. The panel consists of:
- John Merrow, executive producer of the movie and host of “The Merrow Report.” He has been reporting on education policy for the last thirty years.
- Delaine Eastin, former superintendent of public instruction for California from 1995 to 2003 will provide an overview of policy changes and school funding reform through the 1990s.
- Susan Sweeney, Director of the California Consortium of Education Foundations (CCEF), will explain the necessarily expanded role of education foundations.
- Dr. Kenneth Hill, Redwood City School Superintendent from 1970 to 1990, will offer a local historical look at how the Redwood City School District weathered the drastic changes that took place during his tenure.
This free event is co-sponsored by the City of Redwood City, The League of Women Voters of South San Mateo County, the Redwood City San Mateo County Chamber of Commerce, the Redwood City School District, California Assemblyman Ira Ruskin, and California State Senator Joe Simitian.
For more information about the film visit www.pbs.org/merrow/tv/ftw, and for more information about RCEF please visit www.rcef.org.
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Redwood City Shuttle Survey
Redwood City is asking the community to take a few minutes to fill out a survey that will help the City make decisions about possibly developing a shuttle service within the City.
With the renaissance of downtown Redwood City going strong, the City is looking at ways to make it easier for community members to get around town, and one option is a shuttle service. The first step is to learn what the people who live and work in Redwood City think of a possible shuttle service, whether people would use it, where it might go, how frequent, and what the cost might be.
The City and the Peninsula Traffic Congestion Relief Alliance have created a survey so that the community can answer these questions, and help determine the potential use and feasibility of a shuttle.
The survey is available online in either an automated form, or as a bilingual printable form.
The surveys are also available at all City buildings and community centers, and over 10,000 have been distributed to people’s doors in selected areas of the City, in addition to over 30,000 going out in a recent issue of the Examiner/Independent newspaper. The completed surveys can also be faxed to 650-588-8171. Community members are asked to return completed surveys by November 18th.
Everyone who fills in and returns the survey is entered to win a $50 gift certificate to Target, or one of several $5 gift certificates for Parks and Recreation classes. Surveys must be submitted by November 18th. This is a great opportunity for the community to voice its opinions and ideas about how a shuttle service in Redwood City might work.
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Special Events Throughout November at the Senior Center
- “Living Well With Diabetes” Free Lecture, Wednesday, November 2, 10:30 a.m., Goldstar Room. Types of Diabetes, the link between obesity and Type 2 Diabetes, and steps to control Type 2 Diabetes, including nutrition, physical exercise, blood glucose meter, and medications.
- Medicare Part D, New Prescription Drug Coverage Program, Friday, November 4, 10:00 a.m., Theater. The new Prescription Drug Benefit, Medicare Part D, that will be effective January 1, 2006. Come and have all of you questions answered!
- Monte Carlo Night, Saturday, November 5, 6:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., Veterans Memorial Senior Center. Join us for a fun evening and an opportunity to support Senior Programs for the Redwood City Community.
- Holiday Boutique, Thursday, November 10, 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Veterans Memorial Senior Center. Start your Holiday shopping early! We will have a great variety of handmade items to brighten your holidays or to give as gifts.
- West Side Story Theater Trip, Saturday, November 12th Noon-5PM : Join Redwood City Community Services as we enjoy the exciting musical “West Side Story” in San Jose.
- Thanksgiving Feast Fundraiser, Thursday, November 17th. $20 per guest. Support the Redwood City Accessible Recreation Activities Program (ARAP) by joining us for our 4th Annual Thanksgiving Feast Fundraiser.
- Thanksgiving Gathering, Friday, November 18, 12:00 noon, Redwood Room. Join us for this special luncheon, celebration, and entertainment for only $7.00. Call 780-7270 for your reservation.
- Holiday Decorating Party, Monday, November 28, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Come celebrate and decorate the Veterans Memorial Building while having fun with your friends!
- “Over the Counter Medications and Herbal Supplements” and “Advance Health Care Directives” Free Lecture, Wednesday, November 30, 10:30 a.m., Sunset Room. This special program is sponsored by Kaiser Permanente in Redwood City, and is open to everyone, not only Kaiser patients.
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Whole Foods Market Helps Redwood City Library Foundation
A nickel can still go a long way, when customers at Whole Foods Market bring their own bags for their groceries.
From now through December 26th, for every shopping bag that customers bring in for bagging their groceries, Whole Foods in Redwood City will donate a nickel to the Redwood City Library Foundation.
Those nickels will add up, and help the Library to fund programs, materials, and resources for the benefit of the community. At the same time, Whole Foods reinforces its philosophy of conservation by encouraging reuse of throw-away paper products, and reusable grocery bags.
Whole Foods’ Nickels for Non-Profits is a wonderful opportunity to help support the Library Foundation, especially as the Library works to fill the Redwood Shores branch library book fund for the brand-new branch library to be opened in Redwood Shores in 2007.
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City Now Accepts Passport Applications
The City Clerk’s Office of Redwood City is pleased to announce that it is now accepting passport applications on behalf of the United States Department of State. The City has been designated as an official Acceptance Agency for passport applications.
To best serve the community, the City Clerk’s office will accept passport applications Monday through Friday, between the hours of noon and 4:00 pm. No appointment is necessary. U.S. citizens needing a passport for international travel may call 650-780-7588 or go online for more information. The Clerk’s office does not provide passport photos - these must be obtained from an appropriate passport photo vendor (call the Clerk’s office or visit the website for a partial list of locations).
For complete passport application information, prospective applicants are encouraged to visit www.travel.state.gov, which is the only official website for passport information. At this site are downloadable passport application forms, current requirements and applicable fees, travel warnings, consular information sheets, and a wealth of other international travel more.
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