The Burlingame Voice

Credit where Credit is Due

Two of our outstanding High School students, one in a letter in the San Mateo Times:

Karina is a senior at Burlingame High School and she serves on the Associated Student Body as the Service Learning liaison. The 18-year-old's responsibility is to work with the PAWS Program (People Action Work Service Program) facilitating student volunteering in the community.

The American Cancer Society and Relay For Life of Burlingame Planning Committee would like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of Karina for her invaluable commitment to this year's relay. Karina joined the planning committee as the Burlingame High School Chair and took it upon herself to coordinate the high school's relay teams and volunteers. For nine months, Karina attended monthly planning meetings and hosted a meeting the first Wednesday of the month to bring the students up-to-date.

In today's society high school students do not receive enough credit for giving back to society, but the City of Burlingame should feel proud of Karina Harris and the students of Burlingame High School. They not only volunteered to help but formed teams to help raise over $85,000 this month. It has been a pleasure to work with a student like Karina and we look forward to working with the students of Burlingame High School next year.Dorene Campanile, co-chair, Relay for Life

I would also like to add another name of an awesome High School student. Her name is Emily and she volunteered at the Pet Parade, the Library Foundation Bash, the Relay for Life and I saw her helping the kids at the Chili Cook-Off. Quite amazing.

- Written by Fiona

Saturday Morning Breakfast

The San Francisco Chronicle profiles three peninsula breakfast spots in todays paper and two are in Burlingame! Nice reviews for Nini's Coffee Shop on N. Idaho, and Christie's on California. Our family always argues over which to go to! Check them out tomorrow morning, and get there early.

- Written by jean

The Con & Don Show

Watch out for two hand-in-hand tacky glossies coming soon to your mailbox. It seems that the Con & Don Show must use the same designers, the same tacky glossy paper and - yes to all those who care about Post permits - the same permit too (are they "defrauding the post office" too?!)

Condon is full of photos of our favorites - galligan, janney, buddy, vic the stick, etc plus endorsements which are included on one page and then repeated on the back page. A little sleazy! Galligan tells us that buddy Condon is "pro-family" which would probably apply to 100% of us! Dondon does not mention Safeway anywhere on his brochure but has lovely photos of his family.

Just to bring some class and some relevant information, also included in my mail was Mrs. Keighran's informative brochure which does not repeat her endorsements twice and includes important information on city revenue etc.

Chalk and cheese, day and night, tack and class, fluff and information.

- Written by Fiona

School Board Candidates Debate on PenTV

The Burlingame school Board candidates debate, held at BIS on Monday October 17 will be broadcast on PenTV (Comcast channle 26, RCN channel 27) on the following schedule according to PenTV.

PenTV Schedule
10-27 @ 7:30PM
10-28 @ 8:00AM

Burlingame Voice readers can listen to the closing comments of the five candidates at this link

- Written by admin

Building Neighborhood Concensus

There is an interesting training session coming up that is open to the public:

WHEN: Thursday, October 27
TIME: 4:30 - 8:30 PM
WHERE: Senior Citizen Center, 266 Escuela Avenue, Mountain View
PARKING: Rear of entrance in front of Senior Center
RSVP: Cathleen Boyer, City Clerk, Saratoga at [email protected]
CHARGE: Free with light supper but reservation needed.

SUBJECTS TO BE DISCUSSED:

* Learn from the experts how to overcome public opposition and build citizen support for new projects or developments
* Local government leaders will share their "dos and don'ts", what worked and what didn't, as they sought support for a local project.

Panel - Bill Higgins, Institute for Local Self-Government, Heidi Gantwerk, Viewpoint Learning, Ed Everett, City of Redwood City, Steve Emslie, City of Palo Alto.

- Written by Fiona

School Board Debate Audio

Video of the Monday school board debate was turned into PenTV today. We will post the screening times as soon as we hear from them.

In the meantime bloggers maybe interested in listening to the closing statements of all the candidates by clicking on this link (format:MP3 size:3.5Mb Total run time: 9minutes)

- Written by admin

Coffee with Cathy at Caffe:

You are all invited to stop by Il Piccolo Caffe on Tuesday, October 25th for coffee, tea or...dessert with Cathy Baylock. Come discuss the pressing issues in Burlingame while enjoying one of the most charming gathering places in town! Don't forget to bring a friend or neighbor! We'll be there between 7 and 8:30 p.m.!

- Written by Cinderella Story

Broadway Survey

According to the Daily News today (no link) titled "Remodeling of shopping district is on right track", the Broadway survey was released yesterday of an estimated 2,000 Burlingame residents:

50% of the 143 respondents said they want a bakery, a deli or restaurant
44% said that there are too many outdated or low quality stores
16% said the street had too many hair and nail salons
31% said they were aware of the city's trolley service, "a service which could be improved, according to those surveyed"

Thanks to the Broadway BID, the Broadway BABES and Ann Keighran for getting Broadway on "the right track" where five new restaurant permits have been issued.

- Written by Fiona

Debate 2 Re-Broadcast

Message from the City of Burlingame:

REBROADCAST OF OCTOBER 6TH CANDIDATE FORUM ON COMCAST

The October 6th Council Candidate Forum held at Burlingame City Hall will air on Channel 27 at the following times:

Oct. 17 at 4 p.m.
Oct. 19 at 4 p.m.
Oct. 29 at 8 p.m.
Oct. 30 at 8 p.m.
Nov. 3 at 8 p.m.
Nov. 5 at 8 p.m.
Nov. 6 at 8 p.m.

- Written by Fiona

Friends of Mills Canyon

From Heather's article in the Daily Journal, it sounds like a well respected community group is coming to an end:

Friends of Mills Canyon faces end

Nearly 20 years slowly eroded the Friends of Mills Canyon and without new energetic members, the group fears the end is near. Since 1986, the group of citizens tended to and cared for the needs of the urban oasis that is Mills Canyon in Burlingame. With the remaining active members getting older and a declining interest from the public to volunteer, the group's future is uncertain. However, monthly meetings are scheduled to continue through at least December. The monthly one-hour meetings of the Steering Committee suffered from illness, personal work demands and attrition until there was just four people willing to serve, said Bill Freedman, former chair of the Steering Committee, the governing board of the group. We are no longer able to continue our program. Our attempts to recruit new, fresh leadership attracted a few people, but local people seemed disinterested,? Freedman said.

In 1977, a 75-year-old Ed Taylor began building a trail in Mills Canyon with the Burlingame City Council's approval. Shortly after his death in 1983, the council named the trail after Taylor. His wife Marjorie and a group of citizens continued to work on the trail. The group organized into the Friends of Mills Canyon in 1986. I think the city's grateful for what we've done but we need more volunteers. ... I'm 95 now so I can't be very active but my heart is in it,? Marjorie Taylor said. Once a month, the group holds a nature program with most featuring expert speakers with topics from astronomy to mushrooms. They have co-sponsored projects with local youth and produced a quarterly newsletter, Canyon Times, since 1996. They also maintain records of wildlife and plants in the area. Freedman, 86, goes into Mills Canyon once or twice a month to document new flowers, trees and mushrooms. While Freedman is at the canyon, he straightens up where the trail needs a bit of love. He documents parts that need attention and sends a monthly report to the City Council.

Now it will be up to the city to care for the facility. [Mills Canyon] will still be maintained to safety levels but it won't have the detail work, the extra touches. Whenever you get a volunteer group giving attention to a special project, those kind of touches won't be there anymore,? said Randy Schwartz, director of Parks and Recreation. Even though the city cannot provide the detailed care, Freedman said the area will survive. Something special happens there. I find very little trash,? Freedman said. Most people take care of their animals ... and good care of the trails.?

For more information about the Friends of Mills Canyon visit www.millscanyon.org. The group meets the first Thursday of each month at 7:30 at the Burlingame Parks and Recreation Building, 850 Burlingame Ave. The group will continue to meet through at least December.

Mills Canyon is a very special place and it is sad that this community group cannot continue without some new volunteers signing on.

- Written by Fiona