Town Council Notes, Red Hill Renovation and Summer Picnics

Red Hill Shopping Center 

As most of us have noticed, the . The renovation will include new outdoor areas as well as a new fresh look. Construction will continue through the summer and into the fall.

Businesses in the shopping center are open during construction. Running a business during the disruption of a construction project is tough, and business owners are feeling the pinch. The Red Hill Merchants Association wants to remind all of us to SHOP LOCALLY and continue to patronize their shops, especially during this period.

Your patronage of San Anselmo businesses is much appreciated by all San Anselmo merchants!

Dogs in Parks 

The Town Council will be reviewing the rules for dogs in and at the meeting of Tuesday, July 26, beginning at 7 p.m. Allowable hours for dogs were c, with the agreement that they would be reviewed after the trial period.

Town Council Meeting Notes

• Presented the for establishing and coordinating San Anselmo’s garden exchange,
• Authorized the solicitation of bids for the streetlight replacement project, to replace a number of town streetlights with energy efficient models, to be funded through an EECBG (Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block) grant.  The project will replace approximately 170 street lights throughout the town with high-efficiency induction lighting.
• Approved the resolution supporting SB 810, the California Universal Health Care Act, a single payer health care reform plan, combining public financing with competitive private health care delivery.
• Received a presentation by Jon Friedenberg of Marin General Hospital on future plans for a bond measure to ensure the hospital is seismically sound.
• Discussed measures for revenue enhancement, including a possible local sales tax measure. The council directed staff to come back at the next meeting with the necessary resolution and ordinance to place a local sales tax measure on the Nov. 8 ballot.  Still to be decided is the percentage amount of the sales tax.
• Conducted a public hearing on the requested rate increase by Marin Sanitary Service of 31.48%, as recommended by the council subcommittee, with enhanced services to include every week green waste collection and residential food composting. The 31.48% increase was approved, and the effective date is July 1, 2011.
• Continued the public hearing on the 2011-12 preliminary budget and work plan to the next regular meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, July 26, beginning at 7 p.m.

Picnics on the Plaza

The town’s Economic Development Subcommittee, in conjunction with the five local business associations, has planned another six week series of Picnics on the Plaza.  Many thanks to the San Anselmo Chamber of Commerce, the Greenfield Merchants Association, the Red Hill Merchants Association, the Downtown San Anselmo Merchants and the Antique Dealers for their continuing participation.

Special thanks to the San Anselmo Police Officers Association for their generous donations, which allowed us to purchase the white tables, tablecloths, chairs, umbrellas and flags used for the event.

This year picnics will be held on the following Fridays, with the sponsors noted: 

July 22             Town of San Anselmo, Irish Night theme

July 29             San Anselmo Arts Commission, Enjoy the Arts theme

August 5          Elan Fitness, Chamber of Commerce and Dinnerman Insurance

August 12        Ross Valley Rotary Club

August 19        Miracle Mile Computers and Server Smith, Classic Rock theme

August 26        San Anselmo Parks & Recreation Commission, Police and Fire Departments, Hawaiian Night theme

Bring a picnic or get your meal to go at one of the restaurants, and enjoy the company of friends and neighbors on the Town Hall lawn, beginning at 5 p.m., ending at 8 p.m.