CITY MANAGER’S UPDATE
Brian Dossey, City Manager
In light of the recent hurricanes on the east coast as well as the earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia, Colma is committed to ensuring that the Town and our residents are prepared for any emergency situation.
Town staff has begun Community Action Teams for Emergencies (C.A.P.E.) where representatives from the San Mateo County Office of Emergency Services, PG&E, Colma Fire Protection District and Town Staff are educating volunteer residents about disaster preparedness for the hazards that may impact the area and train them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, neighbor assistance, team organization, and disaster medical operations. We are still looking for volunteers to assist in the event of a disaster so please watch for additional C.A.P.E. program opportunities in the New Year.
Another important emergency preparedness tool for residents is the San Mateo County’s ALERT system. SMC ALERT is an alert notification system used to immediately contact you during urgent or emergency situations. You can set alerts to send emergency and non-emergency text and voice messages to your email accounts, cell phones, smartphones, tablets, or voice messages to landline phones. SMC ALERT is a free service offered through the San Mateo County Office of Emergency Services. You can sign up here: http://hsd.smcsheriff.com/smcalert. In emergencies when seconds count and can save lives, SMC ALERT can provide you with crucial emergency alerts to help keep you and your family safe.
Lastly please watch for your invitation to the Town Hall Dedication/Ribbon Cutting event and City Council Reorganization scheduled for December 4, 2018 from 4pm – 8pm. Invitations will be mailed in mid-November. We hope to see you there.
PLANNING DEPARTMENT UPDATE
Michael Laughlin, City Planner
The Planning Department is would like to let you know about some current projects and initiatives within the Town:
Commercial Smoking Ordinance: In July, the City Council adopted a smoking ordinance which prevents smoking within 20 feet of the entrance or exit to any business in the Town. The ordinance also prevents smoking within 20 feet of an outdoor eating area, from a bus stop or ATM.
Serramonte Boulevard and Collins Avenue Corridor Study: This master plan will make recommendations for future street improvements and landscaping that will benefit Colma’s primary business area. The consultants are currently developing preliminary corridor design plans that include a lane reduction on Serramonte Boulevard east of the stop sign entering Serra Center and ending west of El Camino Real. The Town intends to test this design by re-striping this area for a short period of time once the study has been completed. To view preliminary plans, please visit the Planning Department’s current projects page at: https://www.colma.ca.gov/documents/preliminary-concept-plans/
El Camino Real Bicycle and Pedestrian Study. The Town was fortunate to receive a grant from Cal Trans to study future improvements on El Camino Real. This effort is just starting and will continue through 2019 and 2020. Look for opportunities to share your ideas with us.
Medical Office Building on El Camino Real: Construction is anticipated to begin soon on a new 12,500 square foot dialysis center on El Camino Real at Olivet Parkway.
Electronics Recycling: Residents are encouraged to not respond to flyers offering electronics recycling since these businesses are not authorized in Colma. In addition, recycling a computer or cell phone by putting it out at the curb can expose your sensitive information to criminals. Instead, residents are encouraged to recycle electronics at the Colma Best Buy store. Most items are recycled for free.
Curb Painting: Residents are encouraged not to respond to offers to paint address numbers on their curb for a fee. Since the curb is part of the Town’s public right of way, painting is essentially the defacing of public property. In addition, the Town has made a significant investment in Sterling Park on street improvements, and curbs are intended to remain free from painting.
As always, please feel free to contact the Planning Department at (650)757-8888 if you have questions about upcoming projects in the Town.