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Redwood City E-News
Building a Great Community Together
Issue #34 ~ June, 2006
(Back to index of all issues)
IN THIS ISSUE:
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Redwood City Library Helps Kids Read All Summer
Redwood City will help your kids keep their reading skills sharp and their interest up during the summer – it’s Redwood City Public Library’s Paws, Claws, Scales and Tales SUMMER READING CLUBS for kids, teens, and parents. Everyone can win prizes and coupons for local businesses, and enjoy weekly programs by musicians, magicians, and performers – and best of all, it’s FREE!
Sign-ups begin June 9th at any of the Redwood City public libraries. Participants who read for 600 minutes before September 3rd will be eligible for numerous prizes, and can choose a new paperback to build up their home libraries. Teens who read four books will win a certificate to Century Theaters.
Entertaining programs for kids are repeated three times (once at each library) each Wednesday during June and July on the following schedule (1:00 at Schaberg; 4:00 at Fair Oaks; 7:00 at Downtown):
- June 21: Jean-Paul Valjean – balancing acts
- June 28: Marcus the Magician - magic
- July 5: Juan Sanchez – singer/guitarist
- July 12: James Henry – drums & percussion
- July 19: Flying Calamari Brothers - funny magic
- July 26: Puppet Art Theater – puppet show
And adults have a treat in store for them when local author and world traveler Dick Harte discusses the joys and woes of off-season travel, and his book Off Season. He’ll be at Schaberg Library on Thursday, June 8th at 7:15 pm. For more information call 780-7010.
Two new programs for teens debut this summer: teens perform Readers Theater for children, and teens photograph their home town. Use of a camera included. Call Diane Casey for more information at 780-7035.
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Sign up now for “Creative Aging Through Expressive Arts” Conference
The Creative Aging through Expressive Arts Conference is a full day of arts in bloom for seniors on Thursday, July 20th, 2006, from 8:30 am - 3:30 pm, at the Veteran’s Memorial Senior Center, 1455 Madison Ave., Redwood City. This fun, energizing, enlightening, and healthful event is sponsored by a partnership of the City of Redwood City/Parks, Recreation and Community Services, Center for Aging and Spirituality, and Senior New Ways.
The conference consists of a great variety of interactive sessions in various arts media for seniors, and for professionals working with seniors – all are welcome from throughout the peninsula and south bay area. Interactive sessions include Water coloring, Poetry, SoulCollage, Keep Moving, Guided Autobiography, Dreams as creative expression, and Creative Rhythms – healing vibrations of voice, chimes, and drums. Presentations will also be offered by Stagebridge and Front Porch Gallery.
Registration is required, and CEUs are available. The costs is $30 for seniors and students, and $45 for professionals and participants under age 55. Lunch is $10, and CEUs are $10. The registration deadline is July 10. More information and registration forms are available by calling 650-780-7264, or at any one of the sponsoring agencies’ websites: www.redwoodcity.org/parks; www.agingandspirituality.org; www.seniornewways.org.
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City & Whole Foods Team Up to Provide Healthy Snacks
The Redwood City Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department and Whole Foods Market invite the Redwood City community to help bring nutrition to our summertime after-school camp programs. It’s simple to do, it doesn’t cost much, and everyone who participates will feel great about helping kids in the City’s after-school camp programs to receive nutritious snacks all summer!
- Step 1 - Go to Whole Foods Market in Redwood City ( 1250 Jefferson Avenue)
- Step 2 – Tell a clerk you’d like to buy a Camp Snack Bag for Redwood City after school summer camp kids
- Step 3 – Pay just $3.99 per snack bag
- Step 4 – Feel great about helping kids to have healthy snacks during summer after school camp!
This program will help the kids at these Redwood City schools where the City provides after-school camp activities (some are year-round schools, others are in summer school session): Taft, Hoover, Fair Oaks, Selby Lane, Roosevelt, John Gill, and Hawes.
The snack bags are filled with wonderful organic whole food products from the Whole Kids organic food line. Included in the snack bag are things like peach apple sauce, raisins, apple juice, fruit bars, and cheddar crackers.
Learn more about Whole Foods Market and Redwood City Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department. Whole Foods and Redwood City Parks are proud to be working together with the families of Redwood City to bring health and wellness to our community.
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Council Approves Water Rate Increase
At a public hearing on June 5, 2006 the City Council approved a necessary increase in Redwood City’s water rates.
All water used as of June 5th will be charged at the new rates, and will be reflected in customers’ water bills beginning on August 4th. This decision was made after a 45-day “protest” period and an opportunity for community members to offer comments, concerns, support, and ideas about the proposed increase.
The monthly basic service charge (which had been $12) has been raised to $14.25, and the “consumption rates” (the charge for the amount of water used) to increase by 10¢ per “unit” of water used (one unit = 748 gallons). Under this progressive water conservation rate structure, the more water you use, the more you pay per unit of water, based on your maximum usage level—this structure offers an incentive to use less water.
For the typical residential customer, the proposed rate increase amounts to an estimated additional $3.35 per month.
Redwood City buys all of our community’s water from one source - the Hetch Hetchy system - administered by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. When the wholesale cost of water increases, we must pass that increase along to our customers. This year, we’ve experienced a 14% increase in the wholesale cost of water, with more increases expected annually. Additionally, the proposed increase will help to fund the City’s ongoing investment in water conservation and new water supply and distribution systems, including our recycled water program. These efforts will result in a reliable and efficient water supply for the near future, and for the generations to come.
Historically, Redwood City has enjoyed water bills significantly lower than the average for similar cities, and even with the necessary increases we will still be providing water at rates that are among the lowest on the Peninsula.
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Free Music All Summer Long!
Redwood City’s two famous and fabulous free summer concert series are about to begin!
Live in Downtown (starting June 16) features great music every Friday at 6 pm right next to City Hall, and the Stafford Park concert series (starting June 28) gives you free music on the green every Wednesday at 6 pm, throughout the summer. Here are the schedules (go to www.redwoodcity.org/parks for more details):
Live in Downtown
- June 16, Fred McCarty & Company – Country
- June 23, Big Rain - Rock, Funk & Blues Crossover
- June 30, Daddy-O - Rock and Roll
- July 7, Dave Crimmen – Rockabilly
- July 14, Wally's Swing World - Modern Swing
- July 21, Busta Groove - Dance Hits from the 70s, 80s and 90s
- July 28, Take 2 - Hits from the 70s to today
- August 4, Emily Lord - Adult Contemporary
- August 11, Ben Marcato and his Mondo Combo - Rockin' Swing
- August 18, Cool Jerks - Motown + Big Band
- August 25, Nite Cry - Blues, Rock & Soul
- September 1, Jackie Payne & Steve Edmonson - Big Blues Sound
- September 8, Aja Vu - Steely Dan Tribute Band
Stafford Park
- June 28, California Cowboys - Country
- July 5, Zydeco Flames - Zydeco
- July 12, Molly's Revenge - Celtic
- July 19, Pure Ecstasy - Motown, R & B
- July 26, Double Funk Crunch - Disco, The Hits and More!
- August 2, Garage Band - 40s to Today
- August 9, Orquesta d'Sol - Salsa, Latin
- August 16, Sun Kings - Beatles Tribute Band
The concert series' are sponsored by the Redwood City Civic Cultural Commission and Redwood City Parks, Recreation and Community Services. Funded in part by a generous donation from the Port of Redwood City, additional sponsors include: San Mateo Credit Union, Provident Credit Union and Allied Waste Services (formally BFI).
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Redwood City Named “Tree City” for 25th Consecutive Year
For the 25th consecutive year, Redwood City has gained national recognition for its commitment to the community forest, being named a 2005 Tree City USA by the National Arbor Day Foundation (www.arborday.org), in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters and the United States Department of Agriculture.
Two key community groups have played enormous roles in helping the City achieve this honorary distinction: for over 100 years, the Native Daughters of the Golden West Bonita Parlor No. 10 has hosted the City’s annual Arbor Day celebration and tree planting in honor of a prominent local citizen; and CityTrees (www.citytrees.org), the volunteer tree-planting organization has planted over 1,500 new trees in Redwood City, drawing on over 1,300 volunteers investing 3,500 volunteer hours since November, 2000.
Through the efforts of these local arbor enthusiasts, the City has met the four standards to become a Tree City USA – a tree board or department; a tree care ordinance; a comprehensive community forestry program; and an Arbor Day observance.
Redwood City’s staff and elected officials are excited and proud about receiving this award for the 25th consecutive year.
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Proposed Increase in Sewer Utility Rates
As Redwood City’s sewage collection system and treatment facilities get older, they require upgrades, rebuilding, and ongoing maintenance. The City Council is considering a sewer rate increase in order to fund these improvements and the ongoing system maintenance. A public hearing on this rate increase proposal is scheduled for June 26th at 7 pm in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 1017 Middlefield Road.
All of Redwood City’s sewage treatment takes place at the South Bayside System Authority (SBSA), which also handles sewage treatment for Belmont, San Carlos, parts of unincorporated San Mateo County, and members of the West Bay Sanitary District. Every two months, residents and businesses in Redwood City pay a fee (their City utility bill) which pays for the City’s use of the SBSA sewage treatment facility and ongoing operation and maintenance of the City’s sewage collection system.
The rate increase is being proposed to pay for the necessary replacement, upgrade, and refurbishment projects at the SBSA sewage treatment facility, and to provide funding for much-needed improvements to the City’s sewage collection system, as well as ongoing maintenance and operation of that system. These improvements are necessary in order to best serve the community with sewage collection and treatment.
If approved by the Council, the rate increases would go into effect on August 25, 2006. It is proposed that the minimum monthly residential Basic Service Charge increase from the current $26.27 to $33.00; the commercial Basic Service Charge is (for all commercial user categories) is proposed to increase from the current $26.27 to $33.00 (in addition to an increase in the “additional charges” for wastewater in excess of 1,000 cubic feet). More information is available at www.redwoodcity.org/water.
Notification of the proposed rate increase was sent to all City property owners in early May, providing a 45-day period within which formal protests to the increase could be submitted. During the June 26th public hearing the Council will take community comment, consider the number of protests filed, discuss the issue, and potentially make a final decision. The Council could choose to continue the public hearing to a subsequent Council meeting for consideration of this rate increase. The Redwood City community is invited and encouraged to attend the public hearing and participate in the Council’s consideration of this increase.
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