The Burlingame Voice

Avenew: Phase 3 Digs In

I think of the little patch of Avenew streetscape on the west side intersecting with El Camino as Phase 3.  Phase 4 will be the last phase when the connection of the new sections to California Ave. happens.

Digging for Phase 3 kicked off yesterday so those eight or ten spaces are now gone.  Also half of the parking lot across El Camino has been used for construction storage since the project started so this is probably the third low point in interim parking availability.  Hang in there, drivers.

 

A Shepherd Retires

The Daily Journal did a really nice, front page piece on Pastor Pete Garrison's retirement from the ministry at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church on B'game Ave. after 27 years there.  Rather than just link to it, I waited until after the final service to bring you the on-the-scene story and photos.  The former pastor is a good friend of mine and there a legions of others in B'game who can say the same.  His ministry extended past his direct flock to the B'game police where he served as chaplain and to various other service clubs in need of a word or two to the Big Man.

Pastor Pete's final sermon, on the second Sunday of Easter, revolved around Doubting Thomas and how we are all plagued by doubts and challenges but the way to overcome them is clear to those who would listen.  And there were plenty of folks there to listen.  Commenting on the crowd, Pete quipped "I should retire more often".

A great lunch followed along with some bon mots from the Lutheran district rep, the elders of the church, the kids and folks who just wanted to say "thank you".  I echo that sentiment.  Here is the scene during the sermon.

And here is a good sign that we won't be seeing around town anymore

Sign Predicament

One candidate for judge ofthe Superior Court Office No. 6 (our office) got my goat a while ago with her illegally-placed signs all over town.  You would think Stephanie Garratt would know better.  Now we have the predicament of the other candidate doing the same illegal thing.  Here is Ray Buenaventura's illegal sign on pubic property in Millbrae, but they are all over El Camino and B'game, too.  I think a nice $2,500 fine to each of them from each city where they have placed illegal signs is in order.  What are the chances of that happening?

Leadership Shortage, No Kook Shortage

I enjoy Dave Price's editorials in the Daily Post immensely.  I don't always agree with him.  I'm hard-pressed to think of anyone I always agree with, but he is on target and well-informed.  Today's piece starts by noting that Mountain View wants to raise its council salaries ("stipend" would be a better word) and Palo Alto is considering giving it school board members health benefits.  He then generalizes the issue by writing

I'm increasing hearing from local officals that there's a shortage of future leaders who want to run for city council or school board.  Not just in Palo Alto or Mountain View, but all across the Peninsula.

Teh fear is that when seats ope up on a council or board, there won't be enough qualified candidates to fill those vacancies.  Of course there are always enough candidates.  Open seats draw kooks out of the woodwork.  But getting qualified candidates--people who have the competence to do the job--isn't always easy.

Here at the Voice we are always on Kook-Alert.  I won't start a new category with that title since all categories need to be on alert.  I happen to agree with Price's conclusion that raising the salary or benefits won't attract better candidates.  It has to come from the gut.  A local pol I know well is fond of a quote that goes "some people run for office to do something, others run for office to be somebody."  Truer words.

Fattoria e Mare Opens

The Daily Post had a nice write-up by Jamie Morrow on the latest B'game restaurant to take a shot at the old Velvet Turtle location on Rollins.  You may also recall it as Kuleto's or more recently Medallion Steak House.  (Any other names, old timers?)

She notes the name means "Farm and Sea" and they will explore the seafood-centric cuisine of Venice and Milan.  Go for it!  The chef-owner, Pablo Estrada, was at Rose Pistola's in EssEff for 17 years and started at LuLu's.

As Jamie notes, the restaurant is huge--325 in inside and a very cool 60-person patio that Medallion used to spice up with outdoor movies on a big screen.  I would love to see someone make a good run at that location.  If the Summerhill project goes forward, that may disrupt things a bit in that block though.  And we will have to see if they stick with mandatory valet parking as the last few establishments did.  I never had a problem with it, but I know some people did.

85 Trees and Caltrain

We discussed a bit about the possible electification of Caltrain here.  It is a multi-faceted issue including the funding (trying to tap into non-existent High-cost Rail funding), the wires, the new trains (which would be longer and block more intersections around stations), but this being the Voice trees are always an issue.  The Daily Journal know B'game is tree-crazy too and had a piece while we were down that merits revisiting

The Draft EIR estimates the project could remove up to 85 trees and prune another 154 in Burlingame. Mayor Michael Brownrigg said he was relieved to see none of the eucalyptus trees from the city’s beloved grove will be removed and only a few will be moderately pruned. However, he still needs to see a final report, Brownrigg said.

and then there are other factors

Although the (eucalyptus) grove seems largely out of harm’s way, the council wants the final EIR to specifically list which trees may be affected before the city gets on board, said Councilman Jerry Deal, who also serves as the vice chair of the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board. Another concern is the loss of trees will also affect neighborhood aesthetics and decrease noise reduction for surrounding residences, Deal said.

The Daily Post had a similar piece noting that Palo Alto's number was 177 trees and that the historic "El Palo Alto" may have to be pruned.  It is apparently 1,000 years old!  Back here in B'game, I am trying to imagine which 85 trees that aren't part of the Francard grove of eucs we are talking about?

Drumming up Biz in China

The Daily Journal notes a number of mayors, including ours, are planning to visit China to hopefully drum up some local business

Burlingame Mayor Michael Brownrigg and Millbrae Vice Mayor Robert Gottschalk will likely visit Chinese innovation hubs and sources of investment June 16-27. The Silicon Valley Mayors’ Delegation China Trip could be the largest-ever group of American mayors to visit China will further localize and deepen China-California relations to create technology partnerships and seek out business opportunities.

Pending balancing business-related items, Brownrigg is hoping to be able to go. If he does wind up going, he would combine it with business since he doesn’t want Burlingame to have to pay his tab for the trip and doesn’t want to accept gifts from outsiders.

I know Michael has a great deal of experience already doing business in China so he would be a valuable asset to such a trip.  We may need a few people to step up and replace Leland Yee as a go-between!  I have not heard much about the Millenium project at the old Drive-in but that is the most new business square footage that is on the local horizon.

Historic Building Progress

Different people gauge "progress" differently.  There is plenty of development going on around us that I don't think qualifies as "progress"--it may be new but not an improvement.  And then there is lil ole B'game that appears to be coming around to the idea that at least some of the town has some historic value if someone (i.e. the current owner) believes so.  The Daily Journal piece on the draft ordinance working its way through the system noted

Now, the city has drafted a historic resource preservation ordinance. The main incentive of the program is that, under the Mills Act Historical Property Contract Program, homeowners get a substantial discount on property tax if they put together a plan for maintaining and restoring their historical property. A Mills contract is executed between the city and the property owner for a revolving 10-year term.

The timing looks like this

The proposed ordinance should be going to the City Council for vote in the next 60 days, around May or June. It will only affect downtown from Peninsula Avenue to Oak Grove Avenue and El Camino Real to California Drive, said Community Development Director Bill Meeker. If the city sees success with the downtown program, it could decide to expand it out to other areas, he said.

Can't wait!  This feels like progress to me.

Avenew Trees in Dispute

The DJ has printed two letters to the editor this week on the trees on the Avenew which raise interesting issues.  The first is from an early printed Voice contributor

Is it too late to rip out the Zelkovas used so dominantly in the Burlingame Avenue street remodel? Before hard-pressed taxpayers respond in revulsion at the idea, they should consider that the cost of reinstallation at this point is a one-time expense. As it is, the people of Burlingame will be paying to water, prune and sweep leaves for these eyesores for decades to come. Why not spend that money on trees that would truly beautify our town?

And while we’re at it, let’s clean up the coffee stains on (what were) those new pretty sidewalks.

Mike Reitsma, Burlingame

And then

A very short walk down Burlingame Avenue is all it takes for one to wonder who is in charge of upkeep and beautification of our most important city project. As Mike Reitsma noted in a prior letter, and many friends of mine concur, the recently planted zelkova trees are truly unattractive. Most of the other plants in pots and along the street are simply unimaginative. One question that comes to mind is if you are going to spend more than $16 million for a finely designed street, why not take advantage to provide beautiful, even spectacular landscaping, which could be one of the least expensive and potentially eye-catching parts of the whole project? Besides, California weather is outstanding and permits an extraordinary variety of beautiful and colorful vegetation. I agree it will be much better to correct this mistake now than later as eyesores do not easily go away.

Secondly, it is sad to see the lack of cleanliness of the avenue even in its pre-inaugural stage. Unfortunately, the light coloring of the tiles makes the grime, coffee splashes, cigarette butts, skid marks and occasional graffiti even more apparent. It is not clear who is in charge of keeping Burlingame Avenue clean. If it is the shopkeepers, then the city needs to start asking for compliance. If the city is going to be responsible then there needs to be some appropriate planning, rule setting, enforcement and accountability. And we should not forget that it behooves all the citizens to be a bit more careful and considerate in keeping what we are all paying for in an attractive condition. 

Andrew Wallace, Burlingame

If memory serves, ginkos will be the other tree variety planted and we know they are colorful in the Fall.  I think the hanging planters and such will also add some of the splash of color Mr. Wallace seeks.  One thing to keep in mind is the merchants' main interest was ensuring their signage was not too obstructed by trees hence the taller, thinner selections.  Nice to see people care!

Tech Troubles

TypePad had some technical difficulties yesterday, but they appear to be fixed now.  If you had problems loading the Voice yesterday it was not you.