The Burlingame Voice

Library Announcement

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE PUBLIC ON LIBRARY SERVICE REDUCTIONS

Dear Library Patron, 2009 marks a difficult time for our community. We know you rely on your library more than ever, as library use statistics are up 15% over last year. With city revenues down by 10%, this trend is expected to continue for some time. City Council implemented Library budget reductions effective January 5, 2009. As a result, the Library will reduce costs by $ 40,000 during the next 5 months. In July, it is anticipated that another 10% (or $ 200,000) will be reduced from the Library budget. In response to staff layoffs, we plan to use our remaining personnel and resources in new ways. Here some changes you will see. Main Library will close at 5 PM on Fridays; service hours were 72 per week in 2002; they are now 62 hours per week; Main Library schedule will be: Monday-Thursday: 10 AM-9 PM; Friday & Saturday: 10 AM-5 PM; Sunday 1 PM- 5 PM; Easton Branch schedule remains the same: Monday-Thursday: 2 PM-8 PM; Friday and Saturday, 2 PM-5 PM; Sunday: Closed; Public Desk staffing has moved from double staffing to single staffing, with an anticipated increase in queuing for the public; In the coming months, we will implement a Joint Service Desk, combining Reference/Information with Circulation for greater efficiency and "one-stop" service for users at the front of the Library; The collection budget is 35% lower than in 2003; we plan to supplement with Library Foundation support; If you have suggestions for changes in service or concerns about changes, please feel free to contact me or leave a suggestion in our suggestion box. Rest assured that library staff is pledged to provide excellent customer service even during this difficult time. I personally appreciate the community's support of the Library during this, our Centennial year, as well as in the years to come. Your support of the Burlingame Library Foundation will continue to enhance our collections and services. Sincerely, Alfred Escoffier City Librarian

- Written by Joe

Our Young Superstar Poets.

Check out the libary website to see photos of a wonderful event that our library sponsored on Sunday, January 25 (click here). It was called Poetry, Penguins and Pizza where the young students read out their poems. Great to see such young talent in our fantastic library!

- Written by Fiona

Goal Setting Session on Saturday, January 31

The City Council Goal Setting Study Session is a very important meeting especially in these difficult economic times. It is also fascinating to see the priorities the different council members have and, since we have a City council election this year with three seats open, it is a fascinating way to see our councilmembers in action! The meeting is at the Rec. Center and starts at 9:00 am and finishes at noon. There is time for public comments at 10:45 am. (see agenda)

- Written by Fiona

Field Progress?

Hill will broker deal on field fees By Christine Morente San Mateo County Times

BURLINGAME Assemblyman Jerry Hill agreed Friday to persuade elected members of the San Mateo Union High School District to meet with youth sports and city leaders about field fees. Hill also agreed to facilitate a future dialogue between the groups, after the Burlingame City Council let out an impassioned plea for him to do something. "We can't seem to get a transparent discussion with the board," said City Manager Jim Nantell. "The board has steadfastly refused to meet with city elected leaders." The purpose would be to finally understand the reasoning behind the fees and to come up with a compromise. Hill said during a special meeting at City Hall that he didn't fully grasp the situation before. "These youth groups are going out of existence, and (we are) losing the ability to recreate and enjoy the things we all enjoyed when growing up," he said. "We'll figure some way to dialogue this." In March, the district, which oversees the high schools in Burlingame, Foster City, Millbrae, San Bruno and San Mateo, approved to increase its fees to supplement its budget. In July, rent for softball fields became $22.50 an hour on Sundays. They are expected to increase to $45-an-hour this year. Groups using the football/soccer fields are now billed $27.50 an hour on Sundays. Ken Rhoads, section director for the American Youth Soccer Organization has said that he foresees it reaching $80 an hour in the future. And according to Parks and Recreation Director Randy Schwartz, the district charges 17 hours of maintenance time for a four-hour use of the Burlingame High School's large and small gyms if used at the same time. Nantell wonders if the district is violating the Civic Center Act, which states that all public schools only charge non-profit organizations the direct cost associated with their use. The cities hired an independent auditor to go through the numbers. Vice Mayor Cathy Baylock told Hill she's worried that the sports groups will become an "elitist thing," and those who can't afford to be a part of it all would suffer. "We just want to talk about this," she said. "And ask, 'How do we make this work?'" Meanwhile, Hill told the council that he feels comfortable a solution regarding the state budget will come next week. "There's a realization that we can't cut $40 billion and expect the state to operate in a matter that it can function," he said. "To me, the thought of anyone who has paid their taxes, and has worked hard; and for them to get a delay on their tax refund is an outrageous behavior and something that is intolerable. I think that's why we're seeing a resurgence and willingness to compromise more."

- Written by Joe

Athletic Facilities User Fees

There have been many discussions (with some non-laughing hysterics) about this issue of using the SMUHSD facilities. In an article yesterday it stated that some of our younger athletes may be impacted with these new fees - ie not be able to play. I appreciate the District's budget issues but any way to encourage more sports for our young citizens and our "scholarship players" - and not less - should be encouraged. Because of the way these "negotiations" have been handled, many of us may not be so generous when the school districts come hat in hand for more of our money. Article in San Mateo Times - Hill will broker deal on field fees Yesterday's article in the Daily Journal - Field users scrambling for space to play ***

Are user field fees too low? By Nathan Mollat (Daily Journal) After decades of working through the cities and paying ridiculously low user fees for athletic facilities, the San Mateo Union High School District has enacted a new, way more expensive fee schedule to use the district's facilities. Youth groups believe the district is playing hard ball. The district says it's the most prudent business decision. Many believe the city, groups and district should all get together and find ways to make things work. As corny as it sounds, there are those who still believe sports are a vital addition to the lives of well-rounded children and a well-rounded community. You become attached to your club. You start out at 6 or 7 (years old), you want to go through the ranks. You don't want to club hop,? said Bob Greene, founder and director of Golden State Water Polo Club. The parents like it as a social area. To drop the program, or merge the program, the kids, coaches and families lose out. I've lived here (in San Mateo) all my life. I have 30 relatives that in this (Aragon) area. We always went to Aragon, Baywood or Borel all the time to play.? Now, Greene and Karen Goff, president of the San Mateo Soccer Club, ask: Why would they now support the district when it wants to float a new bond measure? They both say it may be harder for communities to pony up when they remember how their kid were treated by the district. The Maintenance Assessment District a fund that was used to support maintenance of district facilities was originally funded by a parcel tax. Now, communities might not be so giving. Now, you're pricing everybody out of it. When you are up with a bond measure, are people going to get excited about it?? Greene asked. Now what's going to happen, no one's going to donate.? Goff has lived in San Mateo for about 20 years and considers her family a Hillsdale High family. Her kids attend the school and have used the Hillsdale facilities for use years growing up. Goff can foresee a time when local residents will say the same thing when the district comes to them looking for more money. My kids have always considered themselves Hillsdale Knights,? Goff said. Now why would I support [the district]? It's not just the way they raised the rates, it's their attitude. They say, The past is past. Get on board or get out.'? Greene, who gave up using the pool at Aragon because of the new fees, said it was a difficult decision to make but in the end, he did not want to pass all the costs to his members and still had a relationship with Serra and Woodside. More so than that, however, was Greene kind of feels like he's abandoning his community. I've used Aragon's pool forever,? Greene said. I live in San Mateo. I wanted a San Mateo team. I wanted kids (who) went to schools in San Mateo. If I'm a [San Mateo] kid, I don't want to drive to Belmont.? That sentiment is echoed by other groups. Goff said she bristles when her group is called an outside group? by the district. Goff, who has children at Hillsdale, said her group is a community group.? Goff said the district doesn't understand that today's under-10 soccer player will eventually play for their local high school team. They forget that these are the kids that are in their schools or coming up to their schools,? Goff said. We're also the parents who are part of the school's booster clubs.? The SMUHSD can sympathize but the bottom line is in these times of economic instability, the district needs to be accountable to its constituents namely the schools, the students and their facilities. We have to look at the district and be absolutely financially responsible. There need to be major changes,? said Elizabeth McManus, deputy superintendent of business services for SMUHSD. You have to make a business decision.?

- Written by Fiona

A Glimmer of Hope?

Bay Area homes sales surge, but price decline continues By Eve Mitchell SAN MATEO COUNTY TIMES STAFF WRITER

The median price of a Bay Area home stood at $330,000 in December, or half what is was when prices peaked 18 months ago, as a glut of foreclosures continue to drive home sales up and median prices down, according to a report released Wednesday by MDA DataQuick. For the month of December in the Bay Area, some 6,889 new and existing single-family houses and condos changed hands, a 36 percent increase from December 2007 while the year-to-year median sales price dropped 43.8 percent to $330,000 from $587,500. The median price is half of the peak price level of $665,000 reached in June and July 2007. The median is the point at which half the homes sell for more and half sell for less. "It would be wrong to say that Bay Area home values are half of what they were a year-and-a-half ago. We're figuring that maybe half of the decline is a market mix issue, and the rest a drop in value," John Walsh, DataQuick MDA president said in a statement. Fifty percent of last month's home sales involved existing home sales that had been lost to foreclosure sometime in the last 12 months. That's up from 46.8 percent in November 2008 and 14 percent in December 2007. Parts of the East Bay are getting hit harder by foreclosures than the Peninsula, where a shortage of buildable land restricts new housing developments. Foreclosures accounted for 27.3 percent of resale home transactions in San Mateo County. "There are still people looking for bargains out there and people going for foreclosures and short sales (which is when a home is sold for less than the amount due on the mortgage)" said Tammy Silvestri, a Realtor with the Burlingame office of Coldwell Banker. Still, she expect these type of sales to taper off in the next month or two in San Mateo County. "On the Peninsula here, I think we have hit the bottom and things are going to stabilize and start going up," Silvestri said. While home prices continued to fall, average monthly rents paid in buildings that have 50 units and larger dropped 2.4 percent to $1,772 from September to December in San Mateo County, according to separate report issued by Novato-based RealFacts.

- Written by Joe

Protect Burlingame

Fee heads to city's property owners (by Heather Murtagh, Daily Journal) An annual fee costing anywhere from an estimated $116 to $2,060 will go before Burlingame property owners in May after the City Council approved a ballot measure in an effort to raise $39 million for storm drain improvements. A fee based on storm drainage will go before property owners through an all-mail ballot May 5 after the City Council unanimously approved the measure last night. As a result, ballots will be mailed to property owners in early April. Ballots must be received not postmarked on that date by 8 p.m. with a signature. Ballots without a signature will not be counted. A simple majority is required to pass the measure. The effort came after a long battle to find an equitable way to raise money to replace aging, and in many cases broken, infrastructure. There is never going to be a good time to pay for this infrastructure. The problem is, the longer we wait, the more expensive it gets,? said Councilwoman Terry Nagel. Property owners now face an annual storm drain fee based on multiplying a parcel's square footage by the impervious area, the total of which would then be multiplied by about 4.2 cents per square foot for the fee total an estimated average of $150 per single-family household per year. The square foot rate can increase for inflation but no more than 2 percent annually. If approved, the fee would be in place for 30 years and a citizens oversight committee will be created. Property owner votes will be unweighted, meaning the owner of a hotel or apartment building, for example, would have only one vote regardless of the number of rooms. However, an owner of multiple properties would receive one vote per property. Not all property owners who attended last night's meeting welcomed the fee proposal calling it a method to circumvent Proposition 13. Others simply felt the fee was unnecessary. A number of speakers simply said clearing tree debris from drains would lessen flooding, offering a cheaper solution than the proposed fee. In addition, some questioned why the fee was not also imposed on Hillsborough residents since runoff from homes in the town often flow to Burlingame. The Burlingame City Council, however, does not have jurisdiction over another city. Murtuza explained the city is working with Hillsborough to limit runoff from new developments. Those opposed to the fee were in the minority. Many explained having no desire to pay more fees, but saw the need. This has the possibility of becoming a health issue and a real liability issue that will cause the city a lot of money,? said resident John Root. This is here and now and you've got to deal with it. The amount of emergency repairs we're having to do are depriving us from all the other things on the to-do list. Then you're stuck not doing the things you need to do. This is a basic flat fee. It's like maintenance, like replacing a roof. We've got to replace a system that's falling apart before it becomes a liability.? Not passing the measure means further budget cuts, said Public Works Director Syed Murtuza. Earlier this month, the council approved $2.3 million in savings and cuts. The need to cut back will increase three- to four-fold if the fee does not pass, Murtuza said. If the fee passes, a list of 10 capital improvement projects are slated to be funded including: pump station and pipeline at Easton Creek; bypass pipeline at Burlingame Creek; bypass pipeline at Ralston Creek; storm drainage improvements at Terrace Creek/Laguna area; widening and embankment improvements at Mills Creek; rehabilitation of El Portal, Trousdale and Gilbreth Creek; new Rollins Road pump station, debris basin and pipeline system project; citywide storm drainage and water quality; rehabilitation of deteriorated bridge and culvert structures under roadways; and upgrade storm drainage pump stations, said Murtuza. The battle to fund the improvements began in Burlingame over two years ago with Measure H a $44 million bond measure marginally defeated in November 2006. The narrow defeat was attributed to a small but vocal group of residents who felt the general obligation tax was unfair for new homeowners. The fee was one of three options previously discussed by the council early last year. Two other options were previously discussed a second attempt at a general obligation bond and a community facility district. A community facilities district allows for financing of public improvements and services. Creation would require a two-thirds voter approval. One downside of the fee option was a limitation on the funds. These funds can only be used for storm drainage purposes including maintenance and operations. Conversely, money from a bond measure could also be used for projects like sidewalks. For more information about the storm drain fee visit www.burlingame.org. A citizen group favoring the fee, Protect Burlingame, was already created. For more information on Protect Burlingame visit www.protectburlingame.org. *** Very impressive meeting where everyone had the chance to speak up for or against though interestingly no comment from the anti-Measure H group though there is quote from Lorne in the San Mateo Times (click here). Also very impressed with two councilmembers who were precise, clear, and had done their homework especially Mayor Keighran who kept a well organized meeting from going haywire because of a few in the audience who did not seem to know council protocol.

- Written by Fiona

Burlingame Library on Tuesday

Tuesday is going to be a very exciting day for alot of us - even those of us who can't get to Washington DC and have to stay in Burlingame! If you would like to watch the Presidential Inaugural Swearing-in Ceremony on a Big Screen, the Burlingame Library will be the place to be to enjoy the ceremony with friends and neighbors! Burlingame Public Library Lane Community Room (Please use the entrance on the Bellevue side of the building) Tuesday, January 20, 2009 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Coffee and donuts will be served

- Written by Fiona

INFORMATION WANTED

Armed robber holds up Burlingame gas station (By Mike Rosenberg, Daily News Staff Writer) A man dressed in all black robbed Gus' 76 Service Station in Burlingame at gunpoint late Wednesday after confronting several people inside the store, police said. The robber, who was still on the loose Thursday, entered the gas station on 1147 Rollins Road at 11:09 p.m. and told several people inside the store that this was a robbery, police Capt. Mike Matteucci said. He then pointed a dark-colored semi-automatic handgun at the store clerk, who opened the register, Matteucci said. The robber reached over the counter and stole an undisclosed amount of cash from the register then fled on foot, he said. The gas station is next to the Broadway on-ramp to U.S. Highway 101 but no getaway vehicle was seen fleeing the area. No one was hurt in the incident and none of the patrons inside the store were robbed, Matteucci said. Investigators were working with store management Thursday to determine whether there was any surveillance equipment inside the shop that would have captured the robbery on tape, Matteucci said. The suspect is described as a black man wearing a black ski mask, a dark jacket that was possibly black or leather, black jeans and black military-style boots. He also may have been wearing gloves. Anyone with information on the crime is asked to call Burlingame police at 650-777-4100.

- Written by Fiona

"How to Neighborhood Network " Meeting on Saturday, January 17

Network Your Neighborhood This Saturday, January 17, Burlingame residents are invited to a fast-paced presentation that will tell them everything then need to know to start a Neighborhood Network presented by the Burlingame group that piloted the concept in the Poppy Drive neighborhood. It will take place in the Lane Community Room (lower level, accessible from outside door on Bellevue) from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Coffee and muffins will be provided. Why should you create a Neighborhood Network? When a disaster occurs, Burlingame's police officers and firefighters will put a comprehensive emergency response plan into action. But there aren't enough safety workers to assist everyone. You and your neighbors will have a much better chance of survival if you do a little advance planning, like getting to know who has medical skills in your neighborhood and what emergency supplies and tools are available. You'll also learn how these Neighborhood Networks work together with city emergency response personnel. Neighborhood Networks help people get better acquainted and increase crime prevention because neighbors know who is and isn't supposed to be in the vicinity. And you'll find it's more fun living in your neighborhood when you know one another. We'll provide "how to" handouts and give you free copies of colorful, eye-catching fliers with emergency tips that you can distribute in your neighborhood. (We are grateful to the Shinnyo-en Foundation for funding the design and printing of these fliers.) Please RSVP by Thursday, January 15, by sending an email to Councilwoman Terry Nagel at [email protected]. You are welcome to invite others to attend. For more information about the Neighborhood Network, please visit http://www.terrynagel.com/Neighborhood_Networkpage586.htm or call Councilwoman Nagel at (650) 347-3576.

- Written by Fiona