The Burlingame Voice

Bonds to Fix our Flood Control Infrastructure?

Burlingame eyes bond, special district as flood solutions - Ideas to fix aging infrastructure will go before city council Jan. 7 (by Mark Abramson, Burlingame Daily News)

Burlingame City Council members will start the new year by looking at ways to fix the city's aging flood control infrastructure.

City Manager Jim Nantell said Friday that he plans to ask the council at its Jan. 7 meeting to either approve plans to take a $35 million to $44 million bond measure or a community facilities district to the voters to pay for the work. Recent history suggests that it could be difficult to pass such a bond measure, Nantell said.

The $44 million Measure H bond initiative for flood control fell a few percentage points short of the two-thirds vote it needed in November 2006. Its opponents argued that it would have been unfair to new homeowners in the city because they would have had to pay more. Measure H would have charged property owners an average of $32 per $100,000 of assessed value.

A facilities district would also need a two-thirds vote to pass.

After Measure H failed, state Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Mateo, and Sen. Tom Torlakson, D-Antioch, introduced a state constitutional amendment in May that would allow cities to charge residents a rate to maintain, operate and upgrade flood control and storm drain systems without having to pass a local initiative. That amendment, known as SCA12, needs to be approved by two-thirds of the state Legislature and a majority of voters statewide. Sen. Yee spokesman Adam Keigwin said more Republican votes are needed in the Legislature before it can go to voters. "We have little hope that it is going to make it," Nantell said about the amendment. "We can't just sit here for another nine months or two years waiting for the state measure to be put on the ballot."

The city could go to voters with another bond measure in June 2008, but it would take at least until August 2008 and an estimated $50,000 to do the necessary work to prepare a facilities district proposal, Nantell said. A citywide community facilities district could be done in a number of ways, including making property owners pay an amount based on the size of their land or by using some other formula, Nantell said.

- Written by Fiona

The Trees at Burlingame High School

This comment was added to another thread (Sidewalks of Burlingame) by Holy Roller but he/she would have liked it to be a new post and I hope it is ok that I have started a new thread on this important subject:

The removal of trees at Burlingame High School began today.
According to the tree company employee I spoke to said that the damage done to some trees through removing roots has caused the trees to become unstable. Also some of the trees need to be removed for the heavy equipment to get access to the "contaminated" soil.
He did not know how many trees would be removed, but his crew was scheldued to be on site for three weeks.
I would have made this a new post but I do not know how to.
I hope more people will get involved.
This is going to get very ugly.
I am very disappointed the local news media is not paying attention!

Comment by Holy Roller

- Written by Fiona

The Republic of Burlingame "Wobbled"

This year: A lovable tree, loving frogs (click here for full article by John Horgan)

AS usual, 2007 in San Mateo County had more than its share of offbeat material. The Peninsula has long been fertile ground for the slightly off-kilter and the occasionally downright bizarre. Maybe it's the astronomical housing prices that produce this syndrome. Or the organic food. Whatever. In any event, let's take a stroll through some of the more memorable episodes of the past year, in no particular order. Put on your seatbelt. Here goes:

Hey, put down that ax There is perhaps nothing that stirs passions in Burlingame more than the tender subject of fabulous foliage. As a proudly-proclaimed City of Trees, the 100-year-old village is constantly on the watch for any and all attempts to prune, pare or, gasp, eliminate gaudy greenery.

That's the main, overriding reason it took the City Council several years to reach an agonizing decision on what to do about a single, offending eucalyptus tree, dubbed "Tom," on Easton Drive. The root system of the towering euc had intruded out onto Easton, impeding traffic. It was a lawsuit waiting to happen.

There was a reasonable recommendation to chop it down and replace it with something more appropriate. Whoa, not so fast there, Paul Bunyan. Protests ensued. Studies were undertaken.Psyches were damaged. Children fretted. The republic wobbled.

In the end, though, the tree came down without the intervention of Dr. Phil, Oprah or Henry Kissinger. Somehow, Burlingame survived. But barely.

- Written by Fiona

No Permits during Holiday Season

Holidays slow fire victims' return (by Mike Rosenberg, The Examiner)

Broadmoor, Calif. (Map, News) - Several downtown Burlingame business owners received a lump of coal in their stockings from the city after they were told they could not rebuild their fire-ravaged offices during the holidays.

A fire at 1227-1241 Burlingame Ave. and 240-250 Park Road on Sept. 19 caused $1.3 million in structural damages and internal property loss to 10 businesses on the second floor. It also displaced two residents when a portion of the second story roof collapsed.

The building owner is ready to restore the structure but a moratorium was placed on rebuilding the roof and other reconstruction from Nov. 3 to Jan. 5, Community Development Director Bill Meeker said. Though the businesses are on private property, the construction requires scaffolding work to be done on city-owned right-of-ways and sidewalks, Meeker said. Public Works does not issue these permits during the holiday season as standard procedure, he said.

The fire-damaged building is in the middle of the city's busiest shopping street; construction there could have jammed an already crowded area for residents and other shops, according to Meeker. Meanwhile, the construction freeze has caused the businesses damaged in the fire to miss out on the busiest shopping time of the year. I can understand the city not wanting to have construction going on during the holidays, but it's darned inconvenient for all of us,? said Pam Vogt, owner of Mr. Z's Stamps, which also sells coins and collectibles. Vogt was fortunate enough to retain much of her inventory, store it and move in to the Camino Co. in Burlingame to take orders after the fire. Other business owners' offices and equipment were completely destroyed.

Some owners have tried looking for new locations while routing calls and orders to answering services. Others have set up P.O. boxes and begun working at home while they wait for their offices to be rebuilt. The owners, who huddled together and watched as their offices went up in smoke in September, have become excellent friends, Vogt said. For instance, Papyrus one of the downstairs merchants in the building that remained intact received Mr. Z's Stamps' deliveries while its owners looked for another location, she said.

The fire could have been prevented had the building been equipped with a full sprinkler system, said Fire Marshal Rocque Yballa. The building owner now plans to install a sprinkler system as he fixes the roof, Yballa said.

- Written by Fiona

Logos vs. Art

Fast food clashes with fine art - Muralist at odds with new tenent's plan to erase work
(by Mark Abramson, Daily News)

A longtime Burlingame muralist is having a hard time swallowing the idea that her fine art could be replaced by fast food logos.

Leona Moriarty's 20-by-40-foot mural on the side of the defunct Towle's Seafood & Spirits restaurant at Burlingame Avenue and Primrose Road could be coming down if the new tenant, Nadal Nazzal, has his way. Nazzal said he plans to replace the mural, which depicts a scene from New Orleans' Bourbon Street, with signs and other decor related to his Burger Joint restaurant, a San Francisco-based fast food chain. "In order for us to open over there, that has to be taken down," Nazzal said. "I can't operate with that mural." Nazzal said Moriarty's work would clash with the look of his business and logos. He said his two landlords assured him when he signed the lease that the mural could come down. He plans to install his signs and logos in March or April, and aims to open sometime in May.

The property owners declined to comment for this story.

Moriarty, who has been an artist for more than 40 years, said she will fight Nazzal's decision and that she is being aided by Oakland attorney M.J. Bogatin, who is working pro bono after the case was referred to him by the nonprofit California Lawyers for the Arts. Bogatin said that under the 1990 federal Visual Artists Rights Act, or VARA, artists can seek up to $150,000 in damages and the right to recover attorney fees. California has had similar laws in place since the mid-1970s, he said. "Imagine how damaging it would be to the reputation of an artist if people could just destroy their imagery willy-nilly," Bogatin said. According to Bogatin, an artist in such cases is entitled to recover damages equal to the value of the work - which in this case he estimated to be $8,000. That amount, however, could be low because Moriarty did the work in 2003 for a nominal fee due to the building's prime downtown location, he said. Moriarty said if the mural is destroyed, she will seek at least $10,000 in damages. Bogatin sent a letter to the owners of the building in early November informing them of Moriarty's rights as an artist but said he has not heard back.

Nazzal argued that the landlords told him he could replace the mural, and his lease with the property owners would make them liable if he is sued for painting over it. "It is in our lease to do what we want to the exterior of that (building)," Nazzal said. Bogatin responded to Nazzal's argument, saying, "Technically the person who is liable is the person who does the removal, but he might have rights under his lease."

Moriarty has options to protect her work, including seeking an injunction to prevent it from being painted over, Bogatin said. "The next step is, we are just waiting for them to do something, and if they do something we have to stop it," Moriarty said.

- Written by Fiona

Centennial Plaza Plans Etcetera

City projects should be prioritized (as opined in the Daily Journal)

A plan to place a plaza on a much-used parking lot at the Burlingame Train Station might be dropped after all to be replaced with some sort of public space carved out in Washington Park nearby. And we can't think of a better resolution.

Depending on what the project will be on Washington Park, creating a new gathering space in a previously established gathering space is a smart alternative to the original proposal. However, we can't help but think that the city's focus should be on other priorities.

After some months of discussion, centennial celebration planners had considered the possibility of removing a parking lot right next to the train station and placing a plaza there to celebrate the city's 100 years of existence next year. That spot was a bad idea for such a plaza because it not only removed much-needed parking, it would place gathering people next to dangerous train tracks. A plaza there would also do little to create additional walkability? since the path along North Road is already very popular. This plan is part of a year-long celebration with activities as varied as a vintage fashion show, an old-time baseball game, a parade and a play. Most of the organizing is done by volunteers, but there is council and staff time involved.

While it is good to recognize the importance of the city's first 100 years, there are also many other important issues facing Burlingame. Infrastructure needs should be at the top of the list. Recent storms flooded Burlingame in spots and more should be done to make sure the city's residents are safe and dry. A bond measure strongly supported by the City Council would have fixed some of the problems and its recent failure was regrettable.

However, there needs to be more emphasis placed on ways to obtain additional funding to repair the city's sewer system rather than elaborate schemes to celebrate a milestone albeit an important one. Let's hope the Washington Park alternative is modest so the city can get back to the business to which it truly needs to attend.

Additional Article:

Latest proposal could save downtown parking (by Mark Abramson, Daily News)

Organizers of Burlingame's yearlong centennial bash said they are considering an alternative to building a plaza at the train station. The plan to build a public plaza at the Burlingame Avenue and California Drive Caltrain station to commemorate the city's centennial could be replaced with a project at Washington Park, said Parks and Recreation Director Randy Schwartz, who is the city's staff liaison to the Centennial Celebration committees. The plaza idea at the train station concerned area business owners because it would take up some or all of a downtown public Parking Lot V. Some city council candidates before the November election, including new Council Member Jerry Deal, also questioned whether a plaza next to a train station and a busy street is safe. Schwartz would not say what he would propose at the park because he will unveil those plans at the city council's Jan. 7 meeting. "It will be usable space," he said.

In addition to a plaza or another project to commemorate the city's birthday, several events are planned to celebrate the centennial. Centennial planners said that droves of people have turned out for the events to celebrate the city's 100th birthday. The festivities started in June and conclude with a ball and fireworks finale on June 6, 2008. "We are really excited that people love their city so much that they want to party all year long," said City Council Member Terry Nagel. She recently served on the Centennial Celebration Executive Committee during her one-year term as mayor. A plethora of people have also volunteered to help plan the events, she said.

The community picnic in early October attracted 300 to 400 people alone, and a scavenger hunt that same weekend had about 150 participants, which was more than anyone expected, Schwartz said. "The events are doing well. We have had a lot interest so far," Schwartz added.

Another event that is getting a lot of attention is the Vintage Fashion Show on Sunday, Feb. 24, at the Kohl Mansion, Schwartz said. About half of the 120 tickets for $75 each have been sold, and the use of the mansion is being donated by Mercy High School, which is based there. The show will feature fashions like wool bathing suits and clothing from various eras.

Centennial celebration organizers are counting on events like the Fashion Show; the musical play "A Class Act" about the city's history; the ball; and sponsors to help pay back a $50,000 loan from the city. The play has been in the works for months, and it will be performed three times from Friday, Jan. 11, to Sunday, Jan. 13, at Burlingame High School.

A centennial art, photography and video contest called Visions of Burlingame have been added to the celebration as well. The contests are open to Burlingame residents and people who live outside the city.

For more information about the centennial, call the city at 650-558-7200, or go to www.burlingame.org and click on About Burlingame.

- Written by Fiona

Major Holiday Spirit

From the San Mateo County Times article by Mark Abramson:

San Mateo, Burlingame box up gifts for troops
So-called care packages' are prepared locally, then sent to Iraq

Members of the U.S. Army's "Screaming Eagles" may be smiling a little more this holiday season, thanks to the generosity behind Adopt-a-Unit programs in Burlingame and San Mateo. Volunteers from the two cities, including schoolchildren, sent "care packages" stuffed with goodies to members of two units of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) while they are deployed in Iraq. The 101st's nickname is the "Screaming Eagles."

The San Mateo and Burlingame residents have sent them DVDs, disposable cameras, candy, food, video games, holiday cards, magazines and other items.

"I have a binder in my office of 'thank you' notes they sent last deployment and this deployment, and it is incredible," said Central County fire Chief Don Dornell, who has helped organize Burlingame's efforts. "These are young guys, and some of them don't have families. To get a message from a stranger ... it goes a long way."

Burlingame adopted its unit, Bravo Company, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, in 2004.

Both cities have promoted the program on their Web sites and by word-of-mouth.

In Burlingame, Mercy High School, the Girl Scouts and other schools and organizations have helped out.

Burlingame officials estimate that they have sent 231 boxes to their unit since the two companies deployed to Iraq for 15-month stints this past September. Burlingame has "boxing parties" in which volunteers package all the donations up.

A late-November boxing party attracted 35 volunteers, Dornell said.

"I get phone calls all the time from people who hear about it or want to make a contribution," Dornell said.

To find out more about the two cities' Adopt-a-Unit drives, call Dornell at 650-558-7604 for Burlingame and Norma Gomez at 650-522-7040 for San Mateo.

E-mail Mark Abramson at [email protected].

- Written by Joe

Christmas Time is (almost) Here . . .

and the best Christmas outdoor light displays can be found at . . .

- Written by admin

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Here are two inter-related pieces from today's SF Examiner:

By Jason Goldman

SAN FRANCISCO -
In what was called a landmark decision, state officials set a course for the proposed high-speed rail that would send a passenger from San Francisco to Los Angeles in just more than 2 hours, with trains cutting through the heart of the Peninsula and South Bay along the way.

The California High Speed Rail Authority elected Wednesday to route the 700-mile transit line through the Pacheco Pass as the primary route for high-speed trains traveling between the San Joaquin Valley and San Francisco.

The crossing, with trains running at top speeds of more than 200 mph, will connect to San Francisco through San Jose and the Peninsula and it is favored because it follows existing Caltrain tracks and avoids cutting through wetland habitats around the Bay.

From San Mateo County's perspective, and Caltrains, having that right-of-way follow the existing route as much as possible would definitely be beneficial to Caltrain and San Mateo County,? San Mateo County Supervisor Jerry Hill said.

Leaders from around the state say the decision will pave the way for voter approval of an approximately $10 billion bond in November to pay for one third of the $30 billion initial phase costs. The total project cost is estimated at $40 billion.

And in a separate article by Dan Walters of the Sacramento Bee on long-term trends:

The Federal Aviation Administration's associate administrator for airports staged a news conference in San Francisco in August to warn about congestion and urge local officials to act.

"We expect the number of air passengers to ramp up dramatically in the future," Kirk Shaffer warned, with SFO's traffic increasing by 60 percent by 2025, Oakland International's by 80 percent and San Jose International's by 100 percent.

- Written by Joe

Give a Holiday Cheer for Washington School

Come One, Come All to the Washington School Dad's Club Wine Auction

The 5th (or is it the 6th?) Annual Washington School Dad's Club On-Line Wine Auction is approaching its finale so NOW is the time to jump in and make that winning bid. You can find 100's of great choices at http://washdads.com/

Among the sponsors are numerous parents, Amici's, Lunardi's, Trader Joe's and Platinum Sponsors Old Texas BBQ and Weimax Wine's & Spirits. My visit to the website indicates that Gerald at Weimax has again dug into his amazing cellar to make some fabulous donations that will catch the enthusiast's eye!

The auction closes on Friday (Dec 21) at 10 PM. Happy Bidding!

- Written by Joe