Here are some important things happening around town that everyone should know about this coming week.
Events
Monday, July 4. Remember: San Bruno has zero tolerance for the possession or use of illegal fireworks. Report observations of illegal fireworks to the Police Department by calling 650-616-7100. A tip sheet is attached.
Wednesday, July 6. 9-11 a.m. Reading Counts quizzes will take place at . An adult must accompany the student.
Saturday, July 9. 9 a.m. Take A Hike encourages you to discover a county park one Saturday each month. This month: Huddart Park in San Mateo. Participants learn about local parks and are encouraged to use the trails to stay active and healthy. Hikes begin at 9 a.m. and are between 1 to 3 miles long. Plan to spend at least 45 minutes for this activity. Rangers and volunteers lead the hikes and provide information about park history and the local habitat. Bring water, dress in layers and wear comfortable shoes. Beauty and fresh air are supplied courtesy of San Mateo County parks. Most hikes begin at the park’s main parking lot.
Who's Who and What's What
1. A team of workers has been preparing for one of the 's biggest changes in years. The library, along with all members of the Peninsula Library System, is gearing up for quicker and easier checkout service using Radio Frequency Identification, or RFID, technology. Library materials are currently being tagged with a microchip that will allow patrons to checkout multiple items at a time. In addition, two new self-checkout machines, compatible with RFID, will make their debut this coming fall. The machines will also be credit card enabled so that library users can pay overdue fees or hold fees. In conjunction with RFID, library staff will place holds out in the public area so that folks can pick up their own reserved items. The library will also be creating an online registration screen on library computers for applicants to fill out before picking up their new card. Staff will continue to be available to show users the new system and to help out with any account issues or requests for research and information.
2. The San Bruno Park School District, and specifically the students of , have lost a valuable principal. Sandy Mikulik accepted a position as director of curriculum and instruction and student services for the Jefferson Elementary School District in Daly City. Her last day as principal at Rollingwood School was June 24. She began her teaching career in San Bruno 14 years ago and has been honored to be an educator for the San Bruno Park School District.
3. Mosquito season has officially begun. The San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District’s mission statement is "to safeguard the health and comfort of the citizens of San Mateo County through a planned program to monitor and reduce mosquitoes and other vectors." Here are the vector control district's goals:
- Prevent the emergence of biting adult mosquitoes by applying control to the larval stage.
- Monitor adult mosquito populations to uncover new sites of larval development and assess the effectiveness of control.
- Radio Frequency Identification the distribution of vector-borne diseases and prevent the occurrence of these diseases among district residents.
- Increase public awareness of District services with an active educational program. Birds can carry West Nile Virus.
You can also help reduce the spread of West Nile virus by reporting dead birds that could carry the disease. Here's how to report dead birds that you may find:
Question: What makes a dead bird reportable and not reportable? Answer: Any dead bird can be reported to the hotline. However, the state health department will only test birds that are whole (not flattened or dismembered), have been dead for 24 hours or less and do not have maggots on them. The following are most likely to be important for testing: crows, ravens, blue jays, squirrels (not a bird, but still important to test), hawks, owls and other birds of prey. Next in importance are sparrows and house finches.
Question: What birds do they normally not test? Answer: Domestic birds (ducks, geese, pigeons, parrots) and doves.
Question: Should the bird be moved or covered up? Answer: Yes, you can pick it up using a plastic bag over your hand, then turn the bag inside out keeping the bird inside the bag. If no one can come from the district to pick the bird up, you can throw it away in the regular garbage. Just don’t touch it with your bare hands.
Question: Is there a state web page with additional info? Answer: Yes: www.westnile.ca.gov
4. At Tuesday's council meeting, councilman Rico Medina made the following statement:
The San Francisco International Airport will not be providing their yearly fire reduction work east of the Seventh Avenue property lines by cutting down the high grass using goats or by other means this year before the Fourth of July weekend. They will be providing this service after Independence Day. They will also work on being able to award a five-year contract that will allow for this needed service to be provided yearly for five years before the Fourth of July.
5. Also at Tuesday's council meeting, Mayor Jim Ruane presented 25-year service pins to two employees from the city’s : Ken Hall and Charles Brust. Ruane and Public Services Deputy Director Robert Howard highlighted the background of these two employees. Charles Brust and Ken Hall thanked staff for their support. In their short comments, both also recognized and stressed the teamwork of their department’s employees and stated that, over the years, many have just shown up when there was a city need, even before being asked to help. Medina expressed words of praise on their behalf. These two city employees represent the type of employees who day in and day out provide great service to the residents of San Bruno.
