Wade Thomas Sidewalks, Energy Workshop and Defensible Space

Sidewalks in Wade Thomas Neighborhood 

The Safe Routes to Schools project has begun in the Wade Thomas neighborhood.  The project is funded through federal grant money intended to encourage safe walking and biking to schools.  The scope of the project includes installing sidewalks around the Wade Thomas campus, as well as filling in missing sidewalk areas in the school neighborhood.  In addition, a number of curb ramps are being installed and some intersections reconfigured to ensure safe passage of our students.  The project began this week and is scheduled to be completed by the end of September.  Regular updates will be posted in the News Flash section of the Town’s home page at www.townofsananselmo.org.

For questions about the project, please contact Public Works Director Sean Condry at scondry@townofsananselmo.org or 258-4676.

County of Marin Home Energy Workshop

Are you interested in making your home more comfortable, durable and efficient?  Come join us to learn how you can get started now!  This workshop will explore the benefits of home energy efficiency and will introduce you to a new state-wide rebate program available to homeowners for making home energy upgrades. You will hear informational and inspirational talks from home energy experts and have the unique opportunity to speak with qualified, local contractors about your specific situation.  Enjoy light refreshments and mingle with other community members, too! 

Monday, September 26, 7:00- 8:30 pm            San Rafael Community Center, San Rafael

For more information about the workshops, contact Ana Toepel at 415.473.4197 or energy@co.marin.ca.us.  For information about Energy Upgrade California in Marin, go to www.co.marin.ca.us/energyupgrade.

Create your Defensible Space Zone!

Since early June, Ross Valley Fire Department personnel have been out in the neighborhoods reminding residents of the requirement for property owners to create defensible space around their homes.  

“Defensible Space” area should be a minimum of 100 feet of clearance around your home (or up to your property line).  The Defensible Space area is the area where you’ve modified the landscaping to give your house the best chance to survive on its own – greatly improving the odds for firefighters who are defending your neighborhood.  If your home is on a slope or subject to high winds, extend the distance of this zone to the area that is recommended for your property.  You can request a “Defensible Space” inspection by calling Ross Valley Fire at 258-4686, or visit www.rossvalleyfire.org to schedule an appointment.

You can reduce your fire risk by completing the following:

• Remove – dead and dying grass, shrubs and trees
• Reduce – the density of vegetation (fuel) and ladder fuels, those fuels extending from the ground to the tree canopies.
• Replace – hazardous vegetation with fire resistive, irrigated landscape vegetation including lawn, or other low growing groundcovers and flowering plants.

It’s the “little things” that will endanger your home.  Just a small ember landing on a little pile of flammable material may ignite and quickly spread to your home.  The Fire Department suggests spending a morning searching out and getting rid of those flammable little things outside and your home will be much safer.  Following are a few of the items you should take a look at:

• Keep your rain gutters and roof clean of all flammable material.
• Get rid of dry grass, brush and other flammable materials around your home – and don’t forget leaves, pine needles, and bark walkways.  Replace with well maintained (watered) landscape vegetation, green lawn and landscape rocks.
• Clear all flammable materials from your deck.  This includes brooms, stacked wood, and easily ignitable patio furniture.  Also, enclose or board up the area under your deck to keep it from becoming a fuel bed for hot embers.
• Move wood piles and garbage cans away from your home.  Keep wood piles away from the home a distance of two times the height of the pile – more if space allows.
• Use fine mesh metal screen (1/4” or less) to cover eaves, roof and foundation vents to prevent windblown embers from entering.
• Inspect and clean your chimney every year.  Trim away branches within 10 feet of the opening of the chimney.  Install a spark arrester with ½” or smaller screen.

You can also visit the Fire Safe Marin website – www.firesafemarin.org – for more detailed information on clearing around your property.

If you have specific questions or would like to schedule an appointment for an inspection, please call Ross Valley Fire at 258-4686.

Vacation Plans

I will be on vacation August 8 – 23, 2011, and the Town newsletter is going to have a brief hiatus, too.  It will be back on the usual schedule beginning on Friday, August 26.