Original Film will be shooting a scene for a FIAT television commercial along San Rafael Avenue from Lagoon Road to West Shore Road on Monday, April 18 from 6 pm to 8 pm. 

The film company is working closely with the City to ensure that the filming goes smoothly.  The Police Department will be on hand to facilitate traffic control during the filming.  There will be "No Stopping" signs posted in some areas that will be used for camera positioning and equipment vehicles.  Residents will have access into and out of the area and to their homes and driveways at all times.  Notices will be hand delivered to homes in the area.

Felix Gehm from Original Film is the location manager for the project and can be reached at 415.505.2061 or via email at felixgehm@mac.com. 

To ensure that the playground continues to be safe for use by children, it will be necessary for Public Works staff to close the playground on Thursday, April 21 from 9 am to 1 pm while 50 yards of new playground bark is installed to fill in the areas where the material has become ineffective.  

The Tiburon Fire Protection District and the Belvedere-Tiburon Office of Emergency Services will be conducting the first emergency siren test on Thursday, April 21 between 1 pm and 1:30 pm from Station No. 11 at 1679 Tiburon Boulevard.

The Siren Notification Alerting the Peninsula or "SNAP" for short is designed to alert citizens on the peninsula to an emergency and notify them to tune in to the emergency alert radio station, presently 840 AM (previously known as the Belvedere Emergency Advisory Radio System or more affectionately as BEARS).  When the system is fully upgraded and the alert sirens are fully integrated the new system will be known as SNAP - Siren Notification Alerting the Peninsula. 

In an emergency, SNAP radio will have announcements and information on occurring local emergencies, such as severe weather, emergency water conditions, earthquakes, hazardous material events, significant traffic emergencies, fires, etc.  SNAP will also provide information related to emergency shelter locations, volunteer assembly points, and evacuation information.

Do not call 9-1-1 unless you have an immediate life-threatening emergency.  For questions about the April 21 siren test, please contact the Tiburon Fire Protection District at 435.7200 or Laurie Gorden, Emergency Preparedness Coordinator at 435.7386.

Going to the 2011 Wine Festival?  Get your tickets now at the Chamber of Commerce Office!  Located in one of the most picturesque waterfront communities in the world, the Tiburon Wine Festival is considered one of the Bay Area's premiere wine events! Breathtaking views, world-class wines (vintages from over 60 premium wineries), with many of the wines being tasted by the public for the first time. Complementary cuisine from over 20 restaurants and chefs, a fabulous silent auction, and live entertainment.

Remember, last year the event sold out nearly 3 weeks in advance - so, get your tickets now - $65 per person.

For more information, contact the Chamber of Commerce at 435-5633 or visit the Wine Festival website - 

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

• Griffin Stoller, Award Winning Fiddler and local Belvedere talent!  (www.griffinstoller.com)
• Johnny Cash Tribute Band - featuring James Garner, 'Man in Black' (www.cashtribute.net)

Sunday, July 17

• Caravanserai, The Santana Tribute Band (www.santanatributeband.com)

Sunday, August 14

• Foreverland - Michael Jackson Tribute (www.foreverlandsf.com)

Sunday, September 4 (Labor Day Weekend)

• Richard Olsen's Big Band Swing and Rock n' Roll - Music and Dancing (www.bigbandswing.com)

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.

As you may be aware, the City of Belvedere is required to provide an accessible path of travel not only at the entrances to its public facilities but also along the primary routes of travel to and from those public facilities.  The primary path of travel to and from City Hall and Community Park is along San Rafael Avenue and Beach Road to and from the entry points to the City. 

To that end, the City is required to maintain a funded milestone improvement plan working toward the goal of meeting these requirements.  This is called the American's With Disabilities Act (ADA) Transition Plan.  Within the Plan the City must identify the paths and routes of travel and take proactive steps toward reaching full ADA compliance along those paths and routes.   

 

A compliant path of travel must have an unobstructed sidewalk width of 48 inches all the way along the route in addition to compliant grades and ramps.  We know that achieving this level of compliance along portions of San Rafael Avenue and Beach Road will not be without challenges.  There are numerous public and private improvements currently installed along the route(s) that will present obstructions to compliance.  As we evaluate requests for new private improvements along the routes of travel such requests will be evaluated with the forward thinking goal of future ADA compliance.  Because we are still in the early phases of this project, we have not identified exactly how we will be complying in terms of final design, but we do know that complying is not an option but a mandate. 

 

Alternatives such as meandering sidewalks, bulb-outs for landscaping, narrower traveled rights-of-way, limitations on parking, etc. will all be considered in an attempt to reach compliance along the route, as will any other creative solutions that meet the requirements of the ADA.  Crossing the roadway at key points may be possible but criss-crossing the roadway may not; choices will have to be made for starting and ending points along the route.  Those property owners with Revocable Licenses for improvements within the City's rights-of-way and those that have improvements within the rights-of-way without the benefit of a Revocable License may be required to remove some or all of those improvements to allow for compliant paths of travel to be created.   

 

Because this is a slow-moving but inevitable project the City will be providing advance notification to all the property owners along San Rafael Avenue and Beach Road that might be affected by the improvements.  As the project evolves and more details emerge City staff will continue to include the affected property owners in the loop.

 

Should you have questions regarding this project, please feel free to contact the City at 435-3838.

At Monday's City Council Meeting 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 on Monday night, 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.

For more information on either of these projects, feel free to contact City Hall at 435.3838.

• 4/11 - 4/14 at 64 Lagoon for Debris Box
• 4/8 - 4/14 at 80 Lagoon for Off Haul of Debris
• 4/14 at Belvedere Avenue for 18 Eucalyptus for Tree Delivery
• 4/11 - 4/14 at 46 Peninsula for Material Off Haul/Delivery
• 4/11 - 4/15 at 14 Edgewater for Equipment, Demo Off Haul
• 4/11 - 4/15 at 34 Lagoon for Landscaping Project
• 4/15 at 450 Belvedere for Concrete Pour
• 4/13 - 4/20 at 40 San Rafael for Clean-up, Delivery, Off Haul
• 3/7 - 7/31 at Laurel & Leeward & San Rafael for Utility Underground Work    

Work Planned By Marin Municipal Water District:

MMWD has planned a system flushing operation on April 12 and 19.  The upper portion of Golden Gate Avenue, Madrona Avenue, Eucalytpus, and Bella Vista will occur on April 12 and the rest of the City (Bayview, Beach, San Rafael, Laurel, etc.) will occur on April 19.