Is anyone wondering why the San Mateo Times hasn't done some research and a story on the deficit spending of SMUHSD? It seems like "Skeptic" has already done a lot of homework for them. A lot of kids are going to be affected by this. Isn't this type of mismanagement newsworthy?
– Written by Jen
John Horgan's piece in the San Mateo Times:
FRESH FACE After years of sitting idle and deteriorating markedly, a vacant former Wells Fargo Bank building in downtown Burlingame is about to get a much-needed facelift. The new tenant, Atherton Culinary, a high-end purveyor of kitchen equipment and amenities (and related dining education), is scheduled to move into the facility on Primrose Road by Jan. 1, 2007, according to the outfit's Tom Papageorge. He said his firm, Atherton Appliance & Kitchens, which is headquartered in Redwood City, has signed a five-year lease on the property, which is owned by Safeway. The supermarket chain has an outlet on the same prime parcel. Since the bank branch was closed years ago, it has become the target of vandalism, making it one of the commercial district's worst eyesores. But that's about to change. And about time, too. Papageorge said the remodeling will be extensive.
– Written by Fiona
What's a charrette? by Terry Nagel (Daily Journal)
Stand at the corner of Primrose and Howard in Burlingame. What do you see? Most people see a wide street with schizophrenic architecture reflecting the whims of several generations, some street-level parking lots, an aging supermarket and a few shops. But dozens of architects who will descend on the city on Saturday, Sept. 30, see something different. They see possibilities. They will be taking part in a collaborative design workshop called a charrette? the city of Burlingame is sponsoring with AIA San Mateo County, a chapter of The American Institute of Architects. Members of the public are invited to come anytime between 8:30 a.m. and 8 p.m. to the workshop, which will be held at the Burlingame Recreation Center at 850 Burlingame Ave.
The term charrette? comes from a 19th century exercise at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in France. Architectural students rushed to complete a design project within a set time. As the deadline neared, they would pile their drawings onto a cart called a charrette to convey them from the studio to the school. Some would jump into the cart and keep sketching on the way. You'll see that same exuberance at Burlingame's charrette, where architects, landscape architects, architectural students, city planners, homeowners, renters, merchants, city employees, city commissioners, City Council members and interested passers-by will team up to envision the future of part of downtown Burlingame. Specifically, they will brainstorm together to create design concepts for revitalizing the area around Howard Avenue between El Camino Real and California Drive. They will also try to figure out ways to entice shoppers and pedestrians to meander down the side streets that connect Howard Avenue to the bustling Burlingame Avenue shopping area one block north. The workshop is named Destination: SOBA? to highlight Howard Avenue's South of Burlingame Avenue (SOBA) location. The design charrette will produce multiple visions that will begin the process of guiding the city into the future. In early 2007 Burlingame will begin to create a new specific area plan that will reflect the community's wishes for the entire downtown area, including the commercial and adjacent residential areas. The architects participating in this unique exercise are experienced dream weavers. AIA San Mateo County has participated in more than 20 charrettes for local communities since the chapter was founded in 1983. All of the architects donate their time and they are so absorbed in their sketching that it's hard to make them stop at the end of the day. They can help you make your dreams for the city a reality. What do you want for downtown Burlingame? Do you want gardens and public plazas? Mom-and-pop shops? A year-round farmer's market? A theater? Public art? Mixed-use buildings and housing near transit? Fountains and trees? More places for children to play? Imagine the possibilities.
Terry Nagel is the vice mayor of Burlingame.
Admission to the charrette is free. The public is invited participate in any or all discussions during the daylong event. The best time to voice ideas is from 8:30 a.m. to noon, the brainstorming? portion of the charrette. During the afternoon, the public is still welcome, but there is less interaction as the architects rush to complete their sketches. The architectural teams will present their visions to the public from 6:30 to 8 p.m. For more information, contact Burlingame Vice Mayor Terry Nagel at TerryDNagel@aol.com or (650) 347-3576 or Maureen Brooks of the Burlingame Planning Department at (650) 558-7253, mbrooks@burlingame.org.
– Written by Fiona
From Vanessa, a senior at BHS (see full article in Daily Journal)
Two years ago, when Burlingame High School was on a six-period day, I was in school until 3 p.m. Now with the seven-period days, I still only have six periods but am excused from school at 2:11 p.m. That means that I am not receiving 49 minutes of teaching I did as a sophomore with the same number of classes. It's hard for me to realize that my school, which has been considered one of the area's best, is quickly falling to lower levels of quality. Within the next couple of weeks, the school may be dramatically different.
Beautiful new high school facilities but seems like shortchanging the students 49 minutes is less than beautiful.
– Written by Fiona
I know we have the fantastic Relay for Life coming up in October but here is a wonderful fundraising idea for downtown Burlingame.
I can see it now … a couple of blocks of the "Ave" closed to traffic, the restaurants bring out their outdoor seating into the streets, percentages to a cause, retail/businesses/hotels offer prizes/coupons, etc, music provided by community groups/schools, etc.
Block party in Marina benefits breast cancer (full article in Examiner)
Seventh renewal of event that last year raised $34K for Komen Foundation. Seven years ago, restaurant owner Eddie Savino's sister Deborah signed up for a breast cancer fundraising walk. She had just moved to town and knew few people she could hit up for donations. Her brother, the owner of the Brazen Head restaurant, decided to help raise money for the walk by hosting a block party near his Marina eatery. Sunday's event will include people walking on stilts and a casino tent, organizers said. Last year, the block party that features everything including live music, food, a silent auction and a raffle raised $34,000 for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, said Maria Sousa, the foundation's affiliate executive director. Sunday's free block party in the 3100 block of Buchanan Street will offer something for everyone during the silent auction, Savino said. There will be signed baseballs, hotel stays, gift certificates, signed jerseys, cases of wine, restaurant vouchers, leather bags, spa visits and art, the restaurant owner said. He has an incredible silent auction,? Sousa said.
Anyone who has been to Pleasanton for the Wednesday Summer Evening Street Parties knows that closing downtown is exciting stuff especially when it involves community/church/school/scout troops/other groups showing us what they do.
There is only one problem – the community comes out in droves and has fun!
– Written by Fiona
Mr. Silverfarb's article (Daily Journal)
Burlingame residents are being asked to approve $44 million in bonds for flood control and facility improvements. Bond Measure H needs 67 percent approval to pass. Burlingame's storm protection system needs major fixing and councilwomen Rosalie O'Mahony and Terry Nagel have teamed up with John Root to co-chair the Committee to Fix Our Flooding. The committee has sent out mailers to Burlingame residents stressing the need for a yes vote and also asking residents to contribute money to help educate the public on the need for these improvements. I'm not sure I would donate money to a cause so that I, in turn, could be taxed. It seems like an odd request but I'm sure there are those in Burlingame more than willing to donate money so the city could avoid the flooding it suffered in 2002 when Grove Avenue was under water. Besides, wasn't a consulting group awarded a contract to help educate the public on the need to pass this bond measure? I remember the group being awarded $50,000 to gauge how much an individual would be willing to pay each year for these facility improvements. I also recall the consulting group being awarded additional money but the minutes of recent council meetings posted on the city's Web site do not indicate this. The city does not post old agendas, which it should, so I can not determine how much money the consulting group was given to educate the public with all those fancy fliers I've seen circulating about. It is clear the council wants this measure to pass. What's interesting to me in this process, however, is O'Mahony and Nagel teaming up with Root to co-chair the flood committee. Root just narrowly lost to Councilwoman Cathy Baylock in the last election and I'm guessing he is poised to run again for a council seat in 2007.
Two seats will be up for grabs in Burlingame in next year's election those belonging to Nagel and Councilman Russ Cohen. Cohen ran for the two-year seat vacated by Mike Coffey and recently butted heads with his council colleagues on the image of Burlingame being seen as an elitist? city. My guess is that Root has his eyes on Cohen's seat and is looking to chum up with O'Mahony and Nagel to vault himself onto the council.
It's just a guess.
– Written by Fiona
Teachers needed (Daily Journal):
Any teachers looking for a chalkboard to fill? The Burlingame Elementary School District is still a couple teachers short of the full staff it needs for the school year already in full swing.
– Written by Fiona
Heather's article in the Daily Journal: (with photo)- Measure H will address flood issues
Sandbags have lined Easton Creek in Burlingame for three years since the water passageway is overwhelmed by rainfall annually. Safer city buildings and less flooding in the future are the goals Burlingame official hope to accomplish with Measure H the $44 million bond measure on the November ballot. The council unanimously approved the bond measure, Measure H, which will focus $37 million to flood control and $7 million to health and safety upgrades needed in city buildings in June. If approved, the planned projects will only take a chunk out of the $110 million laundry list of capital improvement updates needed in the city. Nobody thinks about this stuff until it starts raining. Like last year, everyone was talking about [the flooding],? said Public Works Director George Bagdon.
The bulk of the money will go to various storm drain improvements. The city-wide storm drain system includes five major watershed areas: Easton, Burlingame and Ralston, Sanchez and Terrace, El Portal and Trousdale and Mills. The watershed areas are old, not reinforced and flood frequently. Sandbags have lined the Easton Creek area for nearly three years, said Senior Engineer Doug Bell. Some business owners have taken it upon themselves to build a small wooden fence atop the dirt slopes to prevent floods near Mills Creek. Most water pumps have a 20-year work life. The pumps at the Marsten Pump Station have lasted 50 years, said Bell. The Easton Creek runs past the Marsten Pump Station. The old pumps can be easily overwhelmed causing water to be pushed over the dirt wall lined with sandbags and into the Easton Creek. The creeks are often overwhelmed with water coming from the city toward the bay and bay water traveling down the creeks, said Bagdon. Increasing development added to the problems. The more houses, libraries and buildings built the less natural ground to absorb some of the rain water, said Bagdon. This puts more pressure on the various creeks. Only one of these waterways is lined with cement, the others retain a naturally lined with dirt and plants. These waterways can maintain during the beginning of the rainy seasons but can become less firm as water begins to saturate the area, said Bagdon. The remainder of the funds would be used for seismic, safety and disability access at the police and fire stations, city hall and the recreation center. The recreation center will receive multiple updates such as reinforcement to the walls and ceilings, updates to the heating and ventilation systems and a new location for the wiring system. Temperature control in the large room, which houses a stage, can be a problem. One system is used for the entire room which can take hours to heat up or cool down, said Recreation Supervisor Lynn Mutto. It can be especially tough when performers want cool air and the audience is freezing, she said. The boiler was built in the '30s making finding replacement parts a chore. It's so antique you could sell this thing on Ebay,? said Syed Murtuza, assistant director of public works. To pay for all the changes the city hopes to charge a property tax of $31.97 per $100,000 of the assessed value of the property, said Sean Powers, representative from Government Financial Strategies Inc. This would cause the homeowner of a $300,000 home to pay $95.91, the owner of a $700,000 home $223.79 and the owner of a $1 million home $319.70 per year. If the city were to do a flat parcel tax of $150 per year instead the city would only raise $17.6 million. The revenues would drop to $12 million if the city gave a senior exemption.
For more information visit http://www.burlingamepublicsafety.org.
– Written by Fiona
Without fanfare, San Mateo County Supervisor Jerry Hill has opened a campaign account with the California Secretary of State's Office to run for the 19th Assembly District seat now occupied by Assemblymember Gene Mullin.
Mullin will serve his last term in office ending in 2008. Hill has eyed the seat, working his district in preparation for a run but Hill has consistently demurred when asked about a possible Assembly bid — but there's no denying it now.
To make matters more interesting, the telephone number listed on the Secretary of State's web page as the contact number for the campaign account is the office phone of local campaign consultant Ed McGovern.
McGovern was the campaign consultant for the failed state senate bid of former San Mateo County Supervisor Mike Nevin. In fact, McGovern has had a bad run of luck in San Mateo County politics as of late having lost several high profile races including Measure Q in Redwood City in 2004 that would have enabled the Marina Shores development in that city as well as the 2002 Measure E in Pacifica that would have enabled development in Pacifica's former rock quarry.
Hill will likely face opponents such as San Mateo County Community College District Trustee Richard Holober and possibly Millbrae City Councilmember Gina Papan in the Assembly race.
Rumors have also swirled that former Supervisor Mike Nevin is moving out of his home in Daly City to take up residence in San Mateo to make his third (or fourth) run for legislative office against Hill.
Whatever the final ballot looks like, it is clear that Hill is making the jump early in an effort to scare off any potential competitors. This is a tactic Hill has employed throughout his career in local politics with demonstrated success.
But Hill has also had his share of missteps as a county supervisor, particularly in the past couple of years as detailed by Peninsula Politics.
These stumbles may yet catch up with Hill in a competitive race, something Hill has never faced.
See Original post with links at:
http://peninsulapolitics.blogspot.com
– Written by politicalblunder
From the Examiner:
Improvements may be on the horizon for city's bike lanes
Tara Ramroop, The Examiner
Burlingame, Calif. – An effort to make the city a bike-friendly, pedestrian-oriented community must be balanced with the funds available to reach that goal, officials said Wednesday.
Residents, city staff and members of the Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee are scheduled tonight to discuss a handful of projects in hopes of securing grant funding for long-awaited improvements.
Traffic engineer Augustine Chou said the committee is set to talk about projects identified in the 2004 Bicycle Transportation Plan, which are mostly pedestrian crossings and a number of bike routes all over the city designed more for commuters than leisure cyclists. The group will likely meet every month to discuss a different project, and the public is encouraged to drum up their own ideas for projects.
The city currently doesn't have many commuter-oriented bike paths, but instead has designated bike routes on residential streets citywide, Chou said. Possible projects include a bike lane on Carolan Avenue between Oak Grove and Broadway; another at the Cadillac Way and Rollins Road intersection to link up with the planned Caltrain-sponsored Broadway bicycle and pedestrian over-crossing; a bike lane on California Drive heading north from Broadway; and one that would connect the Burlingame and Broadway business districts.
I think anything that enhances municipal transit options is a healthy thing for the community, especially for those of us who live and work in town,? Broadway merchant Ross Bruce said.
Councilman Russ Cohen, who as a traffic, safety and parking commissioner helped create the 2004 plan, said committee members should keep funding in mind as they narrow down their bicycle improvements wish list.
A project might sound very sexy, but the funding might not be available for that kind of project,? Cohen said. The committee has to be smart about picking projects we'll be able to fund with grants.?
The 2004 plan found that Cadillac Way improvements would cost approximately $10,000 and a 7,000-foot bike lane on Carolan would cost some $56,000. City staff has not come up with new cost estimates yet, as the committee has to solidify which projects are feasible.
Transportation Development Act funding would likely be the primary funding source for the projects. The city has already used $150,000 in such funding to pay for a lighted crosswalk at Morrell Avenue, pedestrian countdown signals downtown and bike route signs citywide.
The committee meeting takes place at 6 p.m. this evening in Conference Room A at City Hall, 501 Primrose Road.
– Written by anson
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