Town Hall Holiday Hours, Winter Storm Preparedness, Nixle, Fire Safety and Leaf Blowers

Town Hall Holiday Hours

Town offices and the library will be closed for the holidays from Monday, December 24, 2012 through Tuesday, January 1, 2012. Employees will be taking vacation days and other paid time off in addition to the regular holidays. While Town offices are closed for the holiday week, the Police and Fire Departments are on duty and in touch with me and other department heads to ensure a quick and thorough response to any issue that may arise, including storm and flooding problems.

Winter Storms

With winter storms upon us, it is important to be prepared.  The Town has storm resource information available on the website at:  http://www.townofsananselmo.org/index.aspx?nid=297.  Information includes links to the flood gauge that measures creek depth, flood gate design information, flood protection tips, weather information, winter preparedness tips and sand bag information.

The Town has access to a number of different communication methods to deliver storm and weather related information to the community.  It is important, in addition, for each of us to stay tuned to local radio and TV stations to stay abreast of the weather forecast and be prepared with sand bags, flood gates or other prevention measures that are required in your specific situation. 

As is always the case during heavy winter rains, sand and sand bags are available for San Anselmo residents and merchants on Sunny Hills Drive in the parking lot adjacent to the tennis courts, across the street from Swirl, the yogurt shop in the Red Hill Shopping Center.

Important Information:  When you hear the flood horn, it means that flooding may be imminent.  You should immediately move your family and vehicles to higher ground.  Please don’t use the flood horn as an opportunity to go see the creek firsthand.  Rushing flood waters are fast moving and very dangerous.

Community Outreach from the Police Department

The Police Department has a community information service designed to deliver important and timely information, including weather related information, to residents in our area using the latest technology.

This service, created by Nixle, LLC delivers trustworthy neighborhood-level public safety and community event notifications by cell phone, e-mail and the Web.  Nixle is a completely free, simple, and trusted information service provider built exclusively to provide secure and reliable communications.  Its authenticated service connects municipal agencies to residents in real time by delivering information to consumers over their cell phones (via text messages), through e-mails, and through Web access.

Residents of San Anselmo can take advantage of Nixle by signing up at www.nixle.com.  After you register, alerts will automatically be sent to your email address, mobile phone or both.  Subscribers can then go to Settings and choose between Advisories, Traffic and Community notifications.  You will also be provided with the ability to choose different notification options that will be sent to your mobile phone and/or email.

To register:
• Go to www.nixle.com
• Click “Sign Up Free”
• Create an account by choosing a User Name and password
• Enter an email address and/or cell phone number where you would like to receive messages
• Click “I Accept – Sign Me Up”

For additional information, please contact the San Anselmo Police Department at 258-4610.

Winter Fire Safety

The change of season has us thinking about fire safety.  Here are a few fire safe tips from the Ross Valley Fire Department:

• Change the smoke alarm batteries, this is your first line of defense, especially while sleeping.
• Test the smoke alarm and review your emergency plan, including exit strategies, family meeting places, etc.
• Have your fire extinguisher checked to ensure that it is in working order. Ensure that everyone knows how to use it.
• Check your emergency supplies, including stored water and food and batteries for flashlights and radios.

Leaf Blower Ordinance

San Anselmo has an ordinance that restricts the operation of motorized leafblowers in the town to the hours of 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays for periods not to exceed thirty minutes at a time per property.  The ordinance applies to anyone who operates a motorized leaf blower in town.  This includes property owners, their employees, tenants, and landscape contractors.

The leaf blower ordinance was enacted to prevent continuous and unreasonable disruption of households caused by the operation of motorized leaf blowers.  In adopting the ordinance, the Town Council sought to balance environmental and life quality issues with the need for property owners to maintain their properties.

The leafblower ordinance was the result of six months of public discussion and a six month trial period before it was finally adopted in April of 1994.

San Anselmo News, published weekly on Fridays, is available at the San Anselmo Town Hall, Library, on the Public Notice Bulletin Board. It is also available on the Town’s website, www.townofsananselmo.org, and by email subscription.