New City Website to Debut May 20!
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May 20 Debut of New City Website
Next week the City's New Website will debut! We're excited about it as the update brings many new features too!
This will be the last edition of the Belvedere E-News via Constant Contact. Beginning next week, the City's Electronic Newsletter will be renamed "Belvedere Notifications."
The new electronic newsletter will integrate directly with the City's website filled with community alerts, notifications, publications, tools, and resources for you to peruse. The new format is a change from the older style newsletter and might take some getting used to - particularly for me - but we think over time it will be a significant enhancement and it will allow the City's electronic communications to be fully integrated into the website - at the end of the day, it will give you, the user, far more choices and options in how you get your information from the City.
The City was and is a pioneer in how we get information out to the community and the community has responded with a significant subscription rate to the E-News. Thank you for your support!
With the launch of the City's new website and Belvedere Notifications we're taking another step forward with a new style and we will again be at the forefront of transparency and community awareness options. Thank you for all your support and bear with us as we make the transition.
How Belvedere Notifications & Belvedere E-Notifications Are Designed
The City's new website integrates three (3) key features that will get information directly to you on whatever topic you wish to subscribe to receive.
 The first, is the "Newsletter" on the City's website. This section will allow you to view recent news releases on key topics, such as Emergency Preparedness, Public Works (road closures, encroachments), Planning (new projects, hearing notices), Building (permits issued, code changes), Police, Fire, Recreation, Capital Projects, etc. We will reproduce short articles in the Belvedere Notifications E-Newsletter and link you back to the website for the details.
 Next is "Notify Me" - Notify Me will allow you to sign up to receive notifications about virtually anything that gets updated on the City's website. These include the Newsletter categories from above, updates to the City's meeting calendar, job postings, agendas, bid postings, community alerts (see next section), and so much more!
 Lastly, is the "Community Alerts" section. The Alerts section will allow you to view (and receive via email or text message) alerts and emergency posting on issues affecting the local. You get instant notification of an Emergency Road Closure, Police alerts, Fires, etc. When there is a "Community Alert" this area of the website will be updated and there will be a banner across each of the website pages scrolling the Alert information. If you subscribe to Community Alerts you get instant notification via email or text message or both - you choose.
For the City's E-News, Belvedere Notifications new design will involve shorter articles (easier to read on mobile devices) and links back to the City's website for more in-depth information. Not every news release will be included in Belvedere Notifications and we will continue to "personalize" the releases as has been our tradition. Now, on to my most favorite additions to the site...the Request Tracker.
Request Tracker
 Request Tracker will be available on the City's website and available as a mobile application to allow a user to report information to the City for follow-up. Eventually, you will be able to report virtually anything - downed trees, dark street lights, blocked drains, code enforcement issues, etc. With Request Tracker you provide basic information on the situation - a brief description, a location, and your contact information - and as the City investigates and follows-up, we update the records - and YOU get notified. Simple as that. This is one of my favorites. PLUS, it is also available for a mobile device so that you can do the same thing using the GPS on your mobile device and send in a photo.
So, next weekend (after May 20), take some time and visit the City's website - www.cityofbelvedere.org - see what's there and see what's not. Let us know what's missing and what needs to be changed. For the first few months it will likely be a work in progress as we work out the kinks. It will take us a bit longer to re-connect the audio, to upload new media, and to re-create the online Municipal Code - but we'll get there. Your subscription to the City's E-News and/or City Manager's Blog will automatically be moved over. Thanks for your support! |
Upcoming City Projects
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 San Rafael Avenue
Landscape Improvement Project
Recently the City Council awarded a contract to McNabb Construction for the San Rafael Avenue Pathway Landscaping Project. This project was reviewed and approved by the Parks and Open Space Committee, the Planning Commission, and ultimately the City Council.
 It will involve the installation and refurbishment of the landscape pathway along San Rafael Avenue from Tiburon Boulevard to West Shore Road. Renovations will also include a landscape strip at Edgewater on San Rafael Avenue, refurbishment of the pocket park at West Shore Road, and refurbishment of the City's entry point at Tiburon Boulevard.
Construction will begin on this project in early May and will last approximately 50 days.
City Hall Terrace Waterproofing Repairs
 Also, at a recent City Council meeting, the Council awarded a contract to Murray Building, Inc. for the City Hall Terrace Waterproofing Improvement Project. This project was also reviewed and approved by the Parks and Open Space Committee, Planning Commission, and City Council. The genesis for this project was to replace the original waterproofing below the concrete terrace in front of City Hall that was installed in 1981. The current waterproofing is insufficient and the Police Department has been the unwelcome recipient of wayward water during heavy rains.
 The project will involve the removal of the concrete decking, replacement of the waterproofing underlayment, replacement of the decking, and miscellaneous electrical, landscaping, and terrace improvements.
Work on this project is expected to begin in mid-May and last until early June. Because some of the work will significantly impact the ability to work immediately adjacent to the activity and access by the public to City Hall some of the demolition and waterproofing installation will occur on Saturdays.
Beach Road Retaining Wall Project
 Lastly, the City Council awarded the contract for the Beach Road Retaining Wall Project. This project would replace an existing wood retaining wall that is randomly supported with steel rails and columns. The 7-foot high wall is showing signs of deterioration and movement. A replacement concrete wall, with stone facing, consistent with the existing stone facing in the immediate area, will be built so as to provide additional roadway width along this narrow street of Beach Road. Several design alternatives were considered and although the selected design was not the least expensive it does provide the best long-term options for protecting upslope improvements, minimizing the temporary construction cuts, and has the added benefit of widening the roadway.
Work is expected to begin at the end of May and there is an authorized construction period of 60-days. During that 60 days there will be intermittent road closures and encroachments that may cause delay or detours. Because this is a pinch-point for thru traffic in the area and because road closures must be coordinated City-wide, the City will make every attempt to ensure that the roadway is accessible as much as possible during the construction period limiting the amount of actual but necessary road closures. As always, road closures, when necessary, will only take place between the hours of 9 am and 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday. The roadway will be fully open and accessible during non-essential work periods, evenings, weekends, and holidays.
For more information on any of these projects, feel free to contact City Hall at 435.3838.
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Richardson Bay Audubon Center Asks for Shark Info
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| Shark Deaths in the Bay
There is still an unexplained leopard shark death in the San Francisco Bay. The California Department of Fish and Game is collecting data to determine issues surrounding the death. If anyone sees a dead or strangely acting shark in the Bay, the Audubon is asking if you could take a photo (ideally with the GPS point of the shark's location) and email it to the Center's Director, Brooke Langston (blangston@audubon.org).
There is no plan to "rescue" the sharks but the California Department of Fish and Game is asking for assistance with the data collection. Ideal information would be: date, time, specific location, alive/dead, scavenged, size, and GPS coordinates.
For more information visit the Audubon Website or call 415.388.2524
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September 13, 2011 - Golf!
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 Do you Golf? Do you like a good day on the links? Do you enjoy the company of friends? A good cause?
How about playing in the 2011 Belvedere-Tiburon Open Golf Tournament? This year, the beneficiary is the Belvedere-Tiburon Library - nothing like a good book! You can even get an E-book at our Library!
Play! Sponsor! Volunteer! We'd love to have you!
For more information, contact City Hall at 435.3838 or The Library at 789.2665. You can also download a Sponsorship Form or a Player Registration Form here!
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| Ritter Center - Art Show & Silent Auction |
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Concerts in the Park - 2011 Season
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 14th Year of Concerts Begin June 19
Tributes to Johnny Cash, Santana, Michael Jackson, and the Big Band Swing!
Mark the dates! The Concerts-in-the-Park Committee is proud to present four fabulous and FREE Sunday afternoon concerts for your enjoyment this coming summer. Please join us for every concert in Belvedere Community Park from 4 pm to 6 pm. Bring a blanket, a picnic, your family and friends, and have a great time!
Sunday, June 19
Sunday, July 17
Sunday, August 14
Sunday, September 4 (Labor Day Weekend)
Concerts are FREE to the public, and sponsored by individual and community tax deductible donations. The Committee thanks the City of Belvedere and the Belvedere Community Foundation for their support for the last 13 years. The Concerts Committee consists of Belvedere volunteers: Anne Butler, Nancy Cappelloni, Christina Decker, Tina Dewey, Jack Doyle, Ginny Doyle, Roger Felton, Nena Hart, Maureen Johnson, Cissy Kirrane, Jeffery Stein, and Petey Stein.
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Free Tire Recycling In Marin
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 Free Tire Recycling From May 14 through May 27
Beginning May 14th through the 27th, the Marin County Department of Public Works in collaboration with Marin Sanitary Service and Redwood Empire Disposal will host a Free Waste Tire Recycling Event. This event will be held at Marin Resource Recovery Center in San Rafael and the Public Works Nicasio Corporation Yard in Nicasio. The two disposal locations are: Marin Resource Recovery Center (located at 565 Jacoby Street in San Rafael) open Monday - Saturday from 8am - 4pm, and Nicasio Corp Yard (located at 5600 Nicasio Valley Road) open Monday-Saturday from 9am to 3pm.
This Free Waste Tire Collection Program is limited to Marin residents and excludes businesses. Residents can bring up to nine (9) tires per trip, limited to passenger car and pickup truck tires only, with or without rims.
The goal of this program is to collect up to 2,800 tires and is funded through a grant from the California Department of Resources, Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle). The Marin County Public Works Department has collected over 19,000 tires at similar events over the past 7 years.
For more information, download the attached flyer.
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Building Permits Issued
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 Permits Issued
- 332 San Rafael, Permit 2011-054, Issued 5/10 for Electrical
- 337 Belvedere, Permit 2011-055, Issued 5/10 for Electrical
- 1 Cove, Permit 2011-056, Issued 5/11 for Bath Remodel
Permits Submitted
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Upcoming Roadway Encroachments
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- 5/2 - 5/15 at 136 Bella Vista for Deliveries/Clean-up/Off-Haul
- 5/9 - 5/15 at 276 Beach for Deliveries, Off-Haul, & Clean-up
- 5/9 - 5/27 on Bayview & Bella Vista for various AT&T utility projects
- 3/7 - 7/31 at Laurel & Leeward & San Rafael for Utility Underground Work
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Upcoming Road Closures
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 5/12 - 5/13 from 9 am to 4 pm on Bayview between #158 to Beach for Utility Work (Emergency Contact: Vince Bruce 415.499.9906)- 5/16 - 5/18 from 9 am to 3 pm at 425 Belvedere for Utility Tie-In (Emergency Contact: Dave Gardner 707.495.0686)
- 5/23 - 5/26 from 9 am to 4 pm on Bayview between #158 to Beach for AT&T Work (Emergency Contact: Vince Bruce 415.499.9906)
- 5/30 - 6/1 from 9 am to 4 pm on Toyon at Bella Vista & #242 Bayview for Utility Work (Emergency Contact: Vince Bruce 415.499.9906)
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