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Redwood City E-News
Building a Great Community Together
Issue #47 ~ July, 2007
 (Back to index of all issues)
IN THIS ISSUE:
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Downtown Family Fun on 4th of July
 The 4th of July Redwood City tradition continues, as the Peninsula Celebration Association and new “platinum” sponsor Symetra Financial bring family fun, all day long to Downtown Redwood City. And this year, the Main Street Event, sponsored by the Redwood City Downtown Business Group, will make the 4th of July even bigger, better, and more fun for everyone!
It's the Symetra Family Fourth, 2007.
The entire community is invited to join family, friends, and neighbors for a spectacular day of celebration at the finest 4th of July party on the peninsula. All of the day’s details and a site map are online at www.parade.org.
Here's just a sampling:
- Firefighters Association pancake breakfast benefit
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Just go to www.parade.org for information and an event site map. Don't miss Redwood City's 2007 Symetra Family Fourth!
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Music, Movies, Art, and More on the Square This Summer
Never has there been such a variety of outstanding activity downtown!
From lunchtime performers, to Wednesday night free movies, free music and art on the square, Shakespeare under the moon...and  there's more to come!
This summer, join family, friends, and neighbors and enjoy all the free activities and events that are coming alive downtown. Visit our great new events page for the schedules - and be sure to spread the word! Tell someone about www.redwoodcity.org/events, and then meet them on the square!
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Fire Department Reminder: Fireworks Banned
The Redwood City Fire Department would like to remind you of the ban on fireworks within City limits - this applies even to the so-called "safe and sane" variety.  Fireworks are the cause of thousands of fires and injuries throughout the United States each 4th of July. The good news is that these fires and injuries are preventable, when people comply with local laws prohibiting the use of fireworks.
Fireworks are illegal in most parts of San Mateo County, and other jurisdictions share Redwood City’s desire to maintain a safe 4th of July holiday. To fully inform the community of Redwood City’s prohibition on fireworks, all main roadway entrances into the City will be posted with a sign saying “No Fireworks in Redwood City.” The signs feature bright red letters on a white background to make them very visible to passing motorists.
The only permitted use of fireworks is for professional fireworks shows, such as that which takes place on the 4th of July at the Port of Redwood City.
Redwood City Police will be on the lookout for fireworks throughout the 4th of July holiday period. Anyone caught in possession of fireworks will have the fireworks confiscated and will be subject to a citation. Fireworks obtained in other jurisdictions may not be brought into or used within Redwood City.
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City Manager Ed Everett Wins Prestigious Award
The International City/County Management Association (ICMA) has awarded its most-prestigious annual award, the Award for Career Excellence, to Ed Everett, City Manager of Redwood City.
Each year, this much sought-after award recognizes individual professional achievement by “an outstanding chief local government administrator who has fostered representative democracy by enhancing the effectiveness of local elected officials, and by consistently initiating creative and successful programs.”
Congratulations to Ed Everett on this great honor!
ICMA (www.icma.org) is the professional and educational organization for chief appointed managers, administrators, and  assistants in cities, towns, counties, and regional entities throughout the world, providing technical and management assistance, training, and information resources to its members and the local government community.
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Citizens Police Academy Applications Available
From forensics to narcotics, auto theft to SWAT teams, and juvenile crime to K9, the 16th annual Redwood City Citizens Police Academy offers an in-depth, “real life” look at the day-to-day experience of police work.
The Academy is a rigorous and exciting 11-week program that is modeled after the State’s curriculum for actual police academies. Applications are available now for the 2007 session, which starts on  Thursday, September 6th. It takes place each Thursday night from 6:30 - 9:30, through November 15, at the Police Department.
Class size is limited, so interested community members are encouraged to get their applications in right away! Call 780-7104 to have an application sent to you, or go online, print the application, and send it in. Participants must be at least 18 years of age and live or work within San Mateo County. This Academy is not intended to train participants for certification as law enforcement officials.
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New Library Blogs Provide Great Info on Events, More
The Redwood City Public Library is pleased to announce two new blogs that are making it easier for the community to find information on  Library events and activities, and to to see Library staff recommendations on great books, movies, audio, and other materials.
The Library Events Blog is located at http://rcpl.wordpress.com/, and the Staff Picks Blog is online at http://rcplpicks.wordpress.com.
Through these popular pages, the Library now offers the most up-to-date, interactive information available for anyone that visits the web page. The pages are updated very frequently, and viewers can subscribe to receive updates automatically via email or RSS feed. The Redwood City Public Library is making the community’s library experience more and more convenient! Visitors can also leave comments, if they want to share their perspectives with other visitors – this gives visitors a wide range of opinions, ideas, recommendations, and more.
Many of the blog listings also include links to other related information from both within and beyond the library– these pages are a new gateway to the community Library, and all of its wonderful activities and materials, and information
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Recycled Water Flowing to First Customers
A significant milestone was reached in late June in Redwood City’s efforts to preserve millions of gallons of drinking water for the community’s use, especially in light of the impending drought in  California. The first gallons of recycled water are now flowing to the City’s first commercial customers, and a special celebration was hosted at the Sofitel San Francisco Bay in Redwood Shores (the City’s first customer for the new recycled water project) to mark the occasion of “Getting Connected.”
Redwood City’s Recycled Water Project is expected to save approximately 900 acre-feet (about 300 million gallons) of drinking water annually by meeting significant irrigation and industrial demand with recycled water by 2010. The project will help Redwood City meet its long-term water supply needs while increasing its overall supply reliability.
The system is designed with the flexibility to accommodate new opportunities and new customers. Redwood City applauds its first  customers for their dedication to the entire community’s quality of life, and their commitment to environmental stewardship. Every gallon of recycled water used for irrigation or industrial purposes saves one gallon of drinking water for the community’s use inside our homes, hospitals, and schools. In the event of a drought, those gallons of drinking water will be even more important to the community of Redwood City, both for today and for the generations to come.
And, by reusing treated water we greatly reduce the amount of non-salt water that SBSA will discharge to the San Francisco Bay, which is highly sensitive to the discharge of any fresh water — even clean or highly-treated wastewater. This is a significant environmental benefit of using recycled water.
More information on this and Redwood City’s other water supply and conservation efforts is online at www.redwoodcity.org./water.
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Change Someone's Life! Become a Project READ Tutor
Right now, hundreds of low-literate adults, teens, and elementary  school aged kids are on the waiting list at Redwood City Project READ, seeking help with reading, writing, and critical thinking skills. This is a great opportunity for members of the Redwood City community to get involved in making a real difference in someone’s life, by becoming a Project READ tutor!
Free Tutor Training starting in July, and will give you the tools to help a child or adult to improve their reading, writing and critical thinking skills. No experience is necessary - all you need is the desire to help someone learn. Tutor training consists of five 3-hour workshops from 6 – 9 p.m on the following dates:
- Thursday, July 26
- Tuesday, July 31
- Thursday, August 2
- Tuesday, August 7
- Thursday, August 9
All workshops are held at the Redwood City Public Library. Call (650) 780-7077 or go to www.projectread-redwoodcty.org for information.
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Sign Up for Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Training
What's the first thing you will you do in the event of a major disaster? How can you protect your family, your home or business, and yourself? What should you do to prepare, and how can your neighborhood work together to get ready for a disaster?
 All this and more is learned at Redwood City's Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training, and you can register now for the class that starts in September.
The CERT program educates you and your neighbors about how you can best prepare your household, family, and neighborhood, and how to respond during the aftermath of a disaster that impacts your neighborhood. It provides community members with training in basic disaster response skills including:
- Fire safety
- Light search and rescue
- Team organization
- Disaster medical operations
 A disaster can strike quickly and without warning. Your family and neighborhood may be without basic services like water, gas, electricity, and telephones, or access to stores and other services for several hours or days.
While public safety personnel will be on the scene after a disaster, they cannot reach everyone right away. Using the skills learned in the classroom and during hands-on training exercises, CERT members can assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following a disaster, when professional responders are not immediately available to help.
Click here to get more information, and to register for CERT.
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Subscribe to Receive Entertainment, Activity, City, & Community Info Via Email
Now you have an easy way to stay in touch with local entertainment, activities, events, meetings, and more, with Redwood City’s FREE online email subscription service! Go to www.redwoodcity.org/egov to get started.
A quick online registration lets you sign up to receive various Redwood City electronic newsletters, Council meeting agendas, news releases, community updates, a new Weekly Entertainment Blast (especially great for our summer events!), and more.
Once registered, subscribers can easily manage which emailed documents they wish to receive, change their subscription status, and add or delete documents. Egov stands for electronic government!
Currently, Redwood City offers these documents via email, on a periodic basis (with more to come):
- Weekly Entertainment Blast
- Redwood City eNews
- Community Updates
- Library Newsletter
- City Council Meeting Agendas
- City Council Meeting Minutes
- Press Releases
- Parks & Recreation Monthly eNews
- Parks activities for all ages
- Youth and Adult Sports Activity Updates
- ARAP Update (Accessible Recreation Activities Program)
- Activities for Adults and Families
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Easy Tips for Reducing Solid Waste in Your Home
Here are some easy ways to do your part to reduce solid waste in your home!
1. Recycle!
Get recycling guidelines from our local solid waste carrier, Allied Waste of San Mateo County (592-2411) and make sure you 're recycling all you can.
2. Reduce unnecessary packaging by bringing your own reusable cloth bags when shopping, buy in bulk, select items with less packaging and buy reusable items.
3. Reduce junk mail by writing to:
Mail Preference Service
Direct Marketing Association
PO Box 9008
Farmington, NY 11735Request that your name and address be removed from all 3rd class mailing lists.
Share this information with others, and see if you can get your whole block to participate! See our global warming web page for more information and ideas.
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