Things To Know: It Has Started & It Is Starting

It HAS started! The San Bruno Fire Department has started collecting new unwrapped toys for San Bruno children through high school age. When you are shopping for your family and friends, consider purchasing 1 or 2 additional toys for someone here in San Bruno who, without your donation, may have next to nothing to open under their Christmas tree (if they can afford a tree) Christmas morning. Unwrapped new gifts should be delivered during normal office hours Monday through Friday to Fire Station 51 on El Camino Real next to City Hall.  If you donate one or more gifts, when you and your family sit down to open your gifts, you should feel a little better knowing you and your donation has made someone else’s Christmas morning just a little merrier.

It IS starting! San Bruno Vice Mayor Ken Ibarra kenibarra@yahoo.com and American Cancer Society’s Julie Pierce Julie.Pierce@cancer.org have begun the building of the Relay For Life of San Bruno Committees planning the Saturday April 27th & Sunday April 28th 2013 event. Form YOUR own Team. Be a part of the committee. Volunteer at the event. Celebrate with a Survivor. Remember one who lost the battle with a Luminaria. 

GO TO www.relayforlife.org/sanbrunoca and there you can sign up to form your own team or join an existing team OR just make a donation to an individual team member or to a team.  BUT the BIGGER need is for you to E=Mail either Ken or Julie directly and volunteer to work for Relay For Life San Bruno in one or more of the following areas (a few chairs and co-chairs are needed):  Accounting, Community Marketing, Data, Entertainment, Event, Fight Back, Food, Logistics, Luminaria, Offline, Online, Registration, Sponsorship, Survivorship, Team Development, Team Recruitment, Team Retention, Day of the Event Set Up, and Day of the Event Clean Up.  GO TO: Their website  for a detailed description of all of the committees and their duties. There will monthly general meetings and in between committees will be meeting. Now the top priority is to get as many as possible NEW and returning teams signed up. Next we will begin looking for local and national sponsorships.  If you know of a local survivor, consider asking them if they will participate in the opening ceremonies and make the first lap around the Capuchino track. Relay For Life San Bruno needs your assistance in contacting those in the San Bruno community that you have contacts with in hopes of getting more local support.

Include www.relayforlife.org/sanbrunoca on your Facebook page.  Include the web page as part of your signature in all of your E=Mails.  Your friends and relatives from all over the WORLD can go to our team web page (www.relayforlife.org/sanbrunoca) and at least make a small donation. Join and FIGHT FOR THE CURE!

Wednesday, Dec. 5. 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The Traffic Safety & Parking Committee meets at City Hall in Room 115. Info: Jennifer Shapona at 616-7049 or jshapona@sanbruno.ca.gov

Thursday, Dec. 6. 5:30 p.m. at the San Bruno Recreation Center in City Park. Come to the front of the Veterans Memorial Recreation Center in San Bruno City Park and join others for the Christmas tree lighting. Event starts at 5:30 with cookies, hot coco, holiday crafts and a chance to visit with Santa.

Tuesday, Dec. 11. 7:00 pm The City Council typically meets the second & fourth Tuesdays of the month at the Senior Center 1555 Crystal Spring Road. The meetings are televised LIVE on San Bruno Cable Channel 1. Info: City Clerk Carol Bonner 616-7058 or cbonner@sanbruno.ca.gov Here is YOUR chance to see your local government in action and YOUR chance to address your Mayor and Council members.

Wednesday, Dec. 12.  San Bruno Park School District Board of Directors meets at Crestmoor School at 7:00 p.m. for their monthly meeting.  San Bruno Cable Channel 1 will broadcast the meeting live.  Info:  District Office at 650-624-3100

Thursday, Dec. 13. Architectural Review Committee meets from 6 to 9 p.m. in City Hall Room 101. Info: Larua Russell 616-7038 or lrussell@sanbruno.ca.gov

Thursday, Dec. 13. The Citizens Crime Prevention Committee meets at 7 pm in City Hall Room 113. Neighborhood Watch will be on the agenda. Info: DMcCoy@sanbruno.ca.gov

HOLIDAY SAFETY TIPS: During the Christmas season consider going to http://www.nfpa.org/ for information of specific holiday season safety tips.

SAVE THIS DATE:

Saturday, January 26, 2013 – Senior Showcase Health & Wellness Fair 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Millbrae Recreation Center, 477 Lincoln Circle. Event sponsorships are now available, Sponsorship info: Kerry McArdle, Daily Journal, 650-303-6735 or Kerry@smdailyjournal.com The Senior Showcase has partnered with the Millbrae Health & Wellness Fair for a great, FREE community event.  This well-established event has taken placein in Millbrae for the last six years. There will be over 50 tables with senior resources and services, FREE refreshments, health screening stations, goody bags, FREE document shredding and more.

IN CASE YOU MISSED THESE:

Planning Commission on Nov. 20th discussed extensively the proposed Transit Corridor's Plan. City assistant planner Laura Russell and Community Development Director Mark Sullivan (with the assistance of the environment consultant) reviewed the vision for the Transit Corridor Plan. Multiple speakers voiced their concern on:

(1)  The Transit Corridor Plan is a work in progress and many steps will need to be undertaken in open meetings with votes needed in some cases before any building can be built.

(2)  Parking (to which staff replied that residential parking permits could be implemented to help resolve their concerns but the plan proposes that new building provide specific on-site parking spaces.  The Transit Corridor Plan has as one of its goals to reduce the dependence on vehicles, thus hopefully less parking will be required).

(3)  Proposed increase in building heights in only specific areas of the City

(4)  City Ordinance 1284 requires a vote by City residents before any structure taller than 50 feet or 3 stories can be built.

(5)  Did San Bruno need the ability to support the 1610 proposed additional housing units.  The plan does not guarantee any specific number of new residential units will be built, just that the City is planning where these units COULD be built, if and when approved.

(6)  The commission voted 4 yes 1 no approving the three resolutions, thus passing them along to the City Council for their evaluation and vote to either agree or disagree on the same 3 technical questions. Residents will have the opportunity to speak in support of or against and ask additional questions at an upcoming Council meeting. Documents on line at www.planbruno.org

Also at the Planning Commission meeting a gentleman spoke on the request by Victory Automotive Group to waive some of the current requirements regarding the property at 675 ECR ( the old Sloat Garden Center property ).  The new company is looking at making it an upscale used car retail location AND this same out of state company has apparently negotiated the purchase of the existing Grace Honda business and property as the building has the Victory name on it.  The new owner will continue to operate the Honda dealership at its current location and move the existing used cars to the 675 ECR location.

(1)  Speakers had questions on where employees would park at 675 ECR so as not to park in the neighborhood, and the Planning Commission was told that the employees would park on the site.

(2)  Neighbors were concerned about noise and the proposed new owner assured the City that no loud speaker system would be used.

(3)  The new owners are still discussing with the City hours of operation, even though they may not initially plan to stay open all of the requested hours as residents had concerns.

At Tuesday’s Council meeting new and re-appointed members were appointed to various City Committees and Commissions thereby allowing all City committees and commissions to operate at full strength.  Less than full committee membership had curtailed many committees and commissions from being able to accomplish all they desired.

Also at Tuesday’s Council meeting continuing discussions were held and direction given on the City’s street sweeping program and the mandatory no parking in some locations and not all. It was decided to change 8 AM street sweeping starting times to 9 AM.  This would also allow an additional day each week that the business district and adjacent parking lots could be swept.

Also at Tuesday’s Council meeting the concepts for the Grade Separation Archway were approved and now discussions will begin to decide how the City and Caltrain will share the estimated costs.

Also at Tuesday’s Council meeting the Council received a First Quarter Financial Update Report as of September 30, 2012 that showed that both income and expenses were right within the approved budget projections and in a couple of areas income was running ahead of budgeted projections.

Also at Tuesday’s Council meeting the Council adopted a resolution concerning a contract to Provide Engineering Services for the Dry Weather Flow Monitor at 7th Avenue Project in an Amount Not-to-Exceed $95,400. This relates to more correctly measuring the amount of sewage San Bruno sends to the sewage treatment plant and therefore how much MONEY San Bruno has to pay to treat San Bruno sewage.

Also at Tuesday’s Council meeting the Council adopted a Resolution Authorizing the Making of a Prepayment Under the Water Supply Agreement with the City and County of San Francisco through the Issuance of Revenue Bonds by the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency.  If these bonds are eventually sold, the City is projected to save San Bruno an estimated $12,000.00 to $21,000.00 per year.

Also at Tuesday’s Council meeting the final 3rd step in upgrading the sewer main along Kains and San Mateo Avenue’s engineering contract was approved.  These sewer lines will have been increased by approximately 25 – 40% in size and the Angus and 7th Avenue sewer lines had previously been increased in capacity and will be able to handle projected increases.