The Burlingame Voice

What a Pretty Station

The B'game train station may be threatened by High-Speed Rail, but at least it won't be threatened by peeling paint and leaking windows anymore.  In a San Mateo Daily Journal article that quotes our very own Historical Society prez, the paper reports

These current renovations, totaling $127,000, include painting the building and replacing seven windows, said Caltrain spokeswoman Christine Dunn.

The train station and its surroundings have undergone quite a few changes in recent years, with the $20.5 million one-year revamp of its platforms and crossings finished last summer and the transformation from vacant station to history museum. The station is quite easily the most recognizable building in the city and is considered to be a quick-to-find landmark for those heading downtown.

As the home to the still-new Historical museum, more than 1,000 people have visited the station in the last few months.  I liked what the Amtrak conductor had to say as well

Bruce Shelton, an Amtrak conductor assigned to Caltrain passes through the city anywhere from two to four times a day. For him, the station is not just a city landmark but a state one too.

“Just like the Golden Gate Bridge represents San Francisco, Burlingame station represents Burlingame,” said Shelton. “The station looks great, I am sure the work is needed and am delighted that the interior will continue to be used as a museum.”

Here's a view before the latest coat of paint was completed

Indepezible

How unfortunate is it that the Pez candy company has no sense of humor?  The San Mateo Daily Journal is reporting that

Connecticut-based Pez candy isn’t so sweet on the Burlingame shop boasting about housing “the world’s largest dispenser of Pez” and selling T-shirts emblazoned with “Got Pez?” The company sued owners Gary and Nancy Doss in federal court, claiming they misled people into erroneously thinking the museum and its wares are formally connected with the candy company.

The intellectual property suit was filed June 22 in the California Northern District Court and seeks unspecified damages of trademark infringement and destruction of the fraudulent Pez. In addition to the Dosses, the suit by Pez Candy, Inc. and Patrafico AG names Computer Spectrum of Burlingame.

That is a great picture of local man-about-town Gary Doss and the giant non-Pez-brand candy dispenser.  You would think Pez would appreciate the labor of love museum.

Whistlestopping

I found this vintage Burlingame item on eBay:

ANDERSON FOR PRESIDENT pamphlet
SIGNED IN PERSON
JOHN B ANDERSON
1980 Presidential Election
Up for auction is a campaign pamphlet SIGNED IN PERSON by JOHN B ANDERSON during his 1980 presidential bid.
Anderson, running as a Republican for President, made whistle stop speeches in California to campaign.  He gave a speech from a train stopped in Burlingame, CA then later signed items for folks.  This is how I got his signature on this political literature.  He signed cover in black ink.  Inside, someone put x's through the name of some of the opposing candidates' information (not me, I was a kid at the time!).

 

Does anyone remember this whistlestop?

The latest on Safeway

At last night's planning commission meeting a Safeway proposal was brought forward. Both commissioners as well as citizens in general agreed that the proposal was far better than the one rejected by both the commission and council  three years ago. However, there were some shared concerns including:

• Truck flow directly through the parking lot
• Location of loading dock
• Absence of landscaping on the rooftop parking lot
• Better defined pedestrian walking paths
• Design of the structure on the corner of Howard and Primrose
• Width of Fox Plaza Lane
• Lighting on rooftop parking structure that could disrupt surrounding areas

Safeway reps said that they will address many of these issues in the next round of review.

High Speed Rail - 5 Peninsula Cities Coalesce

Last month the Burlingame City Council voted 4-1 to join the Peninsula Cities Coalition High Speed Rail Consortium with Belmont, Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Atherton.  All five cities were represented at this morning's meeting in Palo Alto by (l-r) Christine Wozniak, Vice Mayor of Belmont, Vice Chair Richard Cline, Vice Mayor of Belmont, Chairwoman Yoriko Kishimoto, councilmember Palo Alto, Jerry Carlson, Mayor of Atherton and our own Jerry Deal, councilmember Burlingame.

 

 

 

 

Hot topics at this morning's meeting included the difficulty getting any design specifics from the High Speed Rail Authority, eminent domain takings of property along the Caltrain right of way, and what to do if the State Legislature suspends the environmental quality rules (i.e. CEQA) for this project.

Dan McNamara from the California Rail Foundation offered to update the Coalition on its lawsuit and emphasized that the Altamont Pass option is still alive and would have much less impact on the Peninsula than the Pacheco Pass option.  He is also willing to come to Burlingame to give his presentation.

There will be a "Teach In" on July 25th and a two day workshop in October to help the public understand the magnitude of this project.

Apple iPhone still has it!

Here's the line at 7am this morning in front of the Apple store as the iPhone 3GS went on sale.  Even though Apple was taking advance orders on-line some people just like the retail buzz.

Local Boy Comes Home

When the Texas Rangers face-off in interleague play tonight against the Giants, local TV sets will be tuned in to see Scott Feldman on the mound for the Rangers.  Feldman, who grew up in Ray Park and attended Burlingame schools, is 5-1 this year and pitching well.  He's up against 300-game winner Randy Johnson tonight.  There will be a few locals who were teammates at BHS at tailgate parties in the city.  That's why they call it "The Big Show".

Sportswriter Emanuel Lee of the SM Daily Journal caught up with Scott's college coach:

"Here's a kid who grew up in Burlingame, now playing in the majors and facing one of the game's all-time greats, it doesn't get much better than that," said CSM manager Doug Williams, who coached Feldman for two crucial years at CSM, a time in which Feldman transformed himself into a pro prosect.

Fun stuff.  There were about nine ex-Panthers playing for CSM this year and one more is headed there to play ball next year.

Safeway Project - Part 52

If it seems like the Safeway project has been in the works forever that's because IT HAS.  You can go back to the printed copies of the Burlingame Voice circa 2000 in the library and read all about it.  There have been numerous meetings, scale models in the store and hundreds of conversations in the aisles of Safeway and Mollie Stone's.  It has its own category on this blog.

This coming Monday night, June 22nd at 7pm the latest and greatest version of the plan will be presented to the Planning Commission at City Hall.  This version is the result of dozens of stakeholder meetings that included Safeway.  It considered underground parking, rooftop parking (which made the cut), 1, 2 and 3 buildings, access, egress and maybe even some largesse.  If you want to hear the "whole nine yards" be there early for a seat.  I have to be out of town or I would bring a big bag of popcorn.  Here is your official notice and invitation:

 

Taking Local Action on the Climate-Part 1

During Monday's City Council meeting, the council will be asked to approve a Climate Action Plan.  It is the first Staff Report right after the first public comment period so you don't have to stay up too late to see it.  The plan itself is 72 pages long, so we will have to discuss it in sections.

Here is the statement of the local situation and the goals of the plan:

Burlingame‘s community emissions inventory provides a baseline of emission levels against which future reductions can be measured. The analysis showed that the community of Burlingame released 336,944 metric tons of CO2equivalent in the base year of 2005.  To reduce emissions to 15% below 2005 baseline levels by 2020, the community would need to reduce emissions by 50,542 metric tons to 286,402 metric tons during that period.

In today's economy, companies and residents are especially interested in green moves that save them money.  The plan is attuned to that and suggests that:

City operations

Energy and water efficiency improvements can save the City significant operating costs (an estimated 10% to 15% improvement).

Businesses

Similarly, most businesses spend approximately 30% of their operating budget on energy and providing businesses with energy efficiency resources can help businesses save on an estimated 20-30% in utility costs.

Residents

Energy and water efficiency programs can provide homeowners and businesses with 20% to 40% cost savings.

 

Some of the early recommendations in the plan include adopting a water efficient landscape ordinance, adopting a voluntary residential energy conservation policy, researching a residential and small business solar financing plan, adopting a residential and commercial green building ordinance and adopting a policy for prioritized parking for hybrids.

 

 

Art in This Park

 While you are enjoying the art under the redwoods in

Washington

Park

this weekend, imagine this:

 

Right after the Caltrain choo-choo goes through on its new 20-foot high viaduct another train blows through at 120 mph in the other direction.  And another.  And another—every six minutes.

 

These “bullets” are on two new tracks on the viaduct that make it wider than the old Embarcadero Freeway and about as high--except for the 35 foot sound walls that rise from the railbed.

 

Now imagine it’s only five years from now.