San Rafael Snapshot - May 16, 2013

Public Hearing on BID Expansion On Monday night at 7 pm the City Council will hold a public hearing on changes proposed to the Downtown Business Improvement District (BID), including expansion of the district, changes to fees and an expansion of the services provided. Click here for more information about the changes, as well as a map of the proposed boundaries.

Homeless Action Plan Also on Monday night the City Council will hear a report on a proposed Homeless Action Plan.  After many months of research and outreach to social service providers and the community, the Homeless Subcommittee (Councilmember Colin and Mayor Phillips) and staff will be presenting both short and long-term actions to address the various needs around the issue of homelessness in our community and specifically in the Downtown.  Click here for the staff report and the full plan.

Falkirk Greenhouse Restored by Marin Master Gardeners Thank you to the Marin Master Gardeners for the beautiful greenhouse restoration at Falkirk. Master Gardeners and local residents put in over 3,000 hours since December to restore the greenhouse at the Falkirk Gardens. Urban Farmers and Marin Municipal Water District are sponsoring and installing a water catchment system to catch water from the roof that will be stored for use inside the greenhouse to water the plants being propagated there. Special thanks to Tap Plastics, Urban Farmers, Green Jeans Nursery, and Tony Mekisich Irrigation for their contributions. Click here to learn more about the Marin Master Gardeners.

San Rafael included in "Wetlands of International Importance" The Ramsar Convention on International Wetlands added the San Francisco Bay estuary and many associated Marin wetlands to the list of wetlands of international importance.  The Ramsar Convention provides a framework for voluntary international cooperation for wetland conservation.  The US signed onto the Ramsar Convention in 1987.  The inclusion of the San Francisco Bay estuary represents the nation's 35th "wetland of importance."   Among the areas of the San Francisco Bay that are included in this designation are the San Rafael Tidelands, Tiscornia Marsh and Marin Islands, which are located within the San Rafael Bay.  These areas have been long recognized by the Marin environmental organizations and fish and wildlife agencies for their wildlife value, particularly for waterfowl.  San Rafael has been presented with a certificate from the Ramsar Convention confirming this designation and international status. 

City Wins Award for Excellent Financial Reporting For the first time in ten years, the City of San Rafael submitted its comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR) to the Government Finance Officers Association award program. Earlier this week, the City was notified that we have been awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting, the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental and financial reporting. The FY11/12 CAFR was judged by an impartial panel to have met the high standards of the program. The Finance Department worked very hard last fall to bring the report up to these standards to provide the financial information in a clear manner to the public.  Click here to see the most recent CAFR.

Small Business Week Small businesses make up a large portion of our economy and are vital to our community. They provide local jobs, needed services, retail opportunities, and taxes that we all rely on. Join the City Council, the Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Business Improvement District in recognizing the contribution and importance of small businesses in our community.  The City Council will recognize May 20-24 as Small Business Week in San Rafael, at the May 20th Council meeting.

Bike to Work Day a Huge Success Last Thursday was Bike to Work Day and Marin saw 3,453 riders at the various energizer stations throughout the county! The City of San Rafael had 84 bicyclists pass through our energizer station in City Plaza including our Fire Chief, Chris Gray and our Boro Community Center Supervisor, Steve Mason. Steve rode 26 miles from Petaluma! Riding a bike to work is a great form of exercise, costs less than driving a car, and has an almost zero carbon footprint. Click here to learn more about commuting by bike in the Bay Area and Marin.

Cigarette Eater Meter San Rafael Clean (SRC), a coalition of local agencies and individual volunteers, is launching its newest and most creative strategy to help get litter off our streets—a cigarette butt litter display called the “Cigarette Eater Meter” to be installed downtown at the San Rafael City Plaza. The whimsically designed “meter” will be unveiled (with the assistance of SRC mascot Oscar the Bulldog) at 6 pm on Thursday, May 30th, at the start of the Farmer’s Market Festival. Join us to hear more about San Rafael Clean and its programs, browse our SRC booth, and afterwards enjoy live music and food at the downtown Farmer’s Market! Click here for a flyer for this event.

EVENTS
Art Walk Art Works Downtown and other Downtown merchants will offer another “Second Fridays” Art Walk, on May 17 from 5 – 8 p.m.  Each month the Downtown galleries and many retailers feature new exhibits and fun receptions.  Join the fun Downtown!  Visit www.artworksdowntown.org for more information.

Practice SAT Tests Are you ready for the SAT? San Rafael Public Library is holding FREE practice SAT tests! The Library is offering this event on Saturday, May 18 at the Downtown Library. Space is limited. Please call 485-3321 to reserve a place. For more information about Marin SAT Prep, please visit: MarinSATprep.com.

Concourse d’Elegance The Fifth Annual Marin Sonoma Concours d’Elegance is on Sunday, May 19. This year’s event will feature cars driven by Hollywood legends such as Elizabeth Taylor, Mae West, and Steve McQueen. The event will be from 10-4 p.m. at the Marin Civic Center. General Admission is $20, children under 16 years of age are free. 
Click here for more information about the event.