The GPOA sends out occasional news relevant to the Greenbrae community. The communications are simultaneously shown on this web page and emailed to residents on our mailing list. We encourage all Greenbrae residents to add themselves to our email distribution list, and to join our Nextdoor group. Links to register your email address is shown above. Attachments for historical postings are available through the link above or here, with file titles corresponding to the date of the news posting. Emails since July 2019 are also available here.
May 7,2024
Community Updates:
December 18, 2023
Greenbrae Housing Developments Update:
There will be another public Larkspur Planning Commission meeting January 9, 2024 dealing with the proposed new housing developments in Greenbrae.
To be notified for future updates, you can add your email to the Larkspur Housing Element list, as well as a number of other City lists, for notifications here: https://cityoflarkspur.org/list.aspx.
Below is a link to the recorded Dec 12 Commission meeting:
Larkspur Planning Commission Meeting December 12, 2023
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkVEI8fF85TqbJvB4etyqqTaGzwHF9SGp
Marin County Update:
Forward Email: The Planning Division is proposing amendments to the Development Code (Title 22) to:
We have created a webpage so the public can see upcoming hearings and download the proposed amendments here:
Development Code Amendments for 2024
For more information, please call Immanuel Bereket, at (415) 473-2755 or send written comments on the Development Code amendments to:
Immanuel Bereket
County of Marin
Community Development Agency
3501 Civic Center Drive, Suite #308
San Rafael, CA 94903
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December 10, 2023
Dear Greenbrae Homeowners,
Please see the attached notice from the Larkspur Planning Commission relating to a meeting on December 12, 2023 at 7 pm. This relates to a proposed zoning change for the property located near the entrance to 101 off Sir Francis Drake Boulevard where there currently are offices. The GPOA urges all residents to educate themselves about this proposed change and to attend the meeting and provide their input for consideration.
Best regards,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
[email protected]
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April 2023 - Notice of Annual Meeting and Landscaping Report
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TONIGHT: Zone 0 - Ground Zero When Protecting Your Home From Embers
February 23, 2021
Dear Neighbors,
At 6PM tonight there is a Webinar from FIRESafe Marin. Details are below for tonight's Webinar and future events.
If you are not already subscribed to FIRESafe Marin emails, you may do so here:
https://www.firesafemarin.org/
Best Regards,
Scott
Scott Sherman
Landscape Chairman, GPOA
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TONIGHT!
Free Webinar. Join us.
Zone 0 is Ground Zero when protecting your home from embers.
Can't join today? Don't fret. A recording will be made available following the event. Visit FIRESafe MARIN Youtube Channel. to find a complete listing of previous webinars, Highlight Reels, and more resources to help you mitigate wildfire danger.
When: Feb 23, 2021 6:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Topic: Zone 0 - Ground Zero When Protecting Your Home From Embers
Join on Facebook live stream or via Zoom here:
https://firesafemarin.zoom.us/j/87382415962
UPCOMING EVENTS
3/12 | 9am | FIRESafe MARIN Board Meeting
3/12 | 11am | Firewise Leaders Meeting
3/30 | 6pm | Webinar: Defensible Space
Update Regarding Sir Francis Drake Blvd Renaming
February 19, 2021
Dear Greenbrae Neighbors,
Please see through this link an update forwarded from the office of Supervisor Katie Rice regarding meetings next week pertaining to the renaming of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard.
You may also subscribe to such email updates from the County of Marin through this link:
https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/CAMARIN/subscriber/new
You have received this email because you are on the Greenbrae Property Owners Association email list. Your neighbors, friends and family members may also subscribe to GPOA emails through this link.
Very Best Wishes,
Your Dedicated, Volunteer GPOA Board of Directors
Upgrade the Drake is full of new information likely of interest to you
February 14, 2021
Dear Neighbor,
Did you know there’s now abundant new information on UpgradetheDrake.com describing the planned landscape improvements and the light pole issues and planned solutions in process?
Thanks to a generous contribution from CSA 17 (Kentfield, Larkspur and Greenbrae), landscape improvements on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard will be done in all the median islands from Greenbrae to College Avenue, not just intermittent medians. This complements the original County plans for wonderful landscape improvements to the Greenbrae entries at Eliseo, La Cuesta and Manor Road. Plus, we’ll have a new fence along the frontage of Corte Morada Park with landscaping in front of and behind the fence and in the SFD frontage east of the Park that’s been empty for quite a while.
In addition, you may have received an email from Supervisor Katie Rice inviting us to a Greenbrae and Kentfield Zoom Town Hall to discuss the lighting concerns and to identify good solutions for both pedestrian and vehicle safety as well as to minimize light intrusion to the yards and homes situated along SFD Boulevard. If not, here is the invite:
Kentfield-Greenbrae Community Zoom
SFD BLVD Lights
Please join me next Thursday, February 18, at 5pm for an update on County’s reassessment of SFD streetlighting. We’ve heard concerns from many of you regarding aesthetic and lighting impacts and the County is currently working to find a long-term solution that maintains the safety goals of the corridor while reducing negative impacts to residential properties.
For an immediate short-term fix, this new streetlighting along the median near the Bon Air Center (as well as in other segments) has been turned off until a long-term lighting solution can be found. Previously installed new lighting at the intersections will remain active for safety reasons.
The County is currently working with a new lighting consultant and will be looking specifically at reducing lighting impacts to nearby residents as well as potential replacement of poles, mast arms and fixture heads. As this work progresses, the community will have an opportunity to give input.
Please visit the project website for more information and to submit any comments or questions. You can also subscribe to receive updates.
See below for zoom information for Thursday, 2/18 at 5pm.
https://zoom.us/j/93777219026?pwd=YWJ6WTJnL1Z2YjAvRG9kMFVVSUNidz09
Meeting ID: 937 7721 9026
Passcode: 156247
Dial by your location
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
Meeting ID: 937 7721 9026
Passcode: 156247
Best,
Scott
Scott Sherman, PhD
Greenbrae Property Owners Association (GPOA)
Landscaping Chairman
Almenar Drive Fire-Mitigation Email
December 9, 2021
Dear Neighbors,
Under the thoughtful guidance of our local Fire Department Fire-Mitigation Experts, soon you will see ground and tree crews working in your ALMENAR DRIVE median island. Their objectives are to:
Reduce Fuel Volume, Wind-Blown Embers, and Improve Plant Vitality (remove all dead grass, plants, shrubs, branches and trees; remove growth less than 3” in diameter; rejuvenate older, woody shrubs so they return greener, after the rains, with less fuel.)
Create Separation Between Vegetation Clusters with more separation on steep slopes (horizontal separation of 2 times the shrub height.) This interrupts lateral and vertical spread, including up into tree canopies.
Protect Oaks and Other Trees by deadwooding and thinning canopies plus raising lower limbs to prevent ‘laddering’ of fire up into their canopies.
This important work was completed recently in many other Greenbrae medians: Via la Paz, Via Navarro, Via la Cumbre, Via Cheparro, and Altura Way.
It is funded by our County Service Area 16 (CSA 16) annual parcel assessment of $150 (the same amount since 1996!) This limited fund is dedicated to landscape maintenance, improvements, and now fire mitigation. The upcoming work is not a one-time activity. It necessarily will be part of ongoing maintenance.
Similarly, you may have noticed flammable species such as pines, junipers, cypress, eucalyptus, and acacias cut down over the past several years in medians across Greenbrae. This supplements ongoing landscape maintenance of hedges, pruning, pulling of French Broom, whipping weeds, removing heavily accumulated leaves and irrigation.
Learn how to further protect your home and our interconnected Greenbrae community on pages 1-2 in the ‘Fall 2020 Greenbrae Landscaping Report,’ on our GPOA web site (https://www.greenbrae.org): https://bit.ly/36iIzE6
Wishing you a Happy and Healthy Holiday Season and 2021,
Scott
Scott Sherman
Landscape Chairman, GPOA
Greenbrae Newsletter September 2020
August 27, 2020
Dear Greenbrae Neighbors,
On behalf of the Board of your Greenbrae Property Owners Association (GPOA), we sincerely hope you are safe and doing well. Through this link, please find a set of materials which you also will receive in the mail in the next couple of weeks. Since some of the content covers fire preparation and other time-sensitive resources, we thought you might appreciate receiving this sooner by email.
Please let us know if there is additional information you’d like to see in the future by email, in our annual mailing and on our web site www.greenbrae.org.
We wish you the very best as the summer winds down and we all adjust to the new realities of our world.
Very Best Wishes,
Your Dedicated, Volunteer GPOA Board of Directors
Greenbrae Fire & Safety Preparedness
June 8, 2020
Dear Greenbrae Neighbors,
We’re all at risk of wildfires in our beautiful, wooded and fully-interconnected landscaped community. Volunteers from GPOA*, NRG*, and CSA16* work closely with our Fire Departments and FIRESafe Marin experts to help ensure our private homes and landscapes are safe(er). Of course, these groups don't maintain your private properties, so these efforts must include homeowners, their gardeners and perhaps tenants. On our community web site at www.greenbrae.org/fire--safety, you’ll find a growing list of curated information and educational resources to help all of us to understand what to do to make our properties and homes, and thereby our neighbors and community, safer. This takes some focused thought and some additional expense, but the payoffs in saved lives and properties are obvious.
If a wildfire starts or moves into our community along with strong seasonal winds, being prepared is best, right? We have provided you with helpful educational materials already on our website, www.greenbrae.org. You also will receive occasional mailings and emails (if not already subscribed, please go here so you can receive timely updates, (www.greenbrae.org/signup)
Please take a look at your home and in your landscaping for items that can and will make a difference in saving your home and those of your neighbors. For example, are your roof and gutters regularly kept clear of leaves and other flammable debris? Are your foundation, soffit, and roof vents protected with 1/16” mesh and/or ‘Vulcan’ or similar vents? is the ‘Zero Zone’ (0-5 feet around your home) free of plants and protected by hardscaping, gravel or other non-flammable material? Do you have bamboo, junipers, pine trees, rosemary, and other highly-flammable plants near your home? Are you at the top of a slope with abundant dried grasses, French broom and other plants? Have your ground cover, shrubs and trees been separated to prevent fire from ‘laddering' up into the canopies and onto roofs of your and your neighbors’ homes?
Guidance on how to address these and other key FireSafe items is provided on our website at www.greenbrae.org/fire--safety . To get professional guidance on how to prepare and maintain your home and landscaping for wildfires you will find links to fire safety professionals at www.firesafemarin.org/contractors and other excellent resources at www.firesafemarin.org, www.firesafemarin.org/preparedness and FireWise USA
Additional Resources for fire preparedness include the following videos:
Yes, we’re all in this together. Work on your property. Coordinate activities and share costs with your neighbors. Participate with your NRG ‘cluster’ and help all of us to make a real difference.
*GPOA: Greenbrae Property Owners Association (to which most homeowners pay voluntary dues 1-2 times a year to fund FIRESafeMarin, our website, annual GPOA Picnics, newsletters, etc.)
*NRG: Central Marin Neighborhood Response Groups www.nrgmarin.org (A grassroots volunteer-driven initiative designed to assist the residents of Central Marin prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters by encouraging a neighbors-helping-neighbors approach and by providing resources, guidance and training and conducting periodic disaster drills.)
*CSA16: County Service Area 16 (to which each home pays taxes, currently $150/year, to fund the maintenance and improvements of our community's landscape medians, community parks on Corte Morada and Corte Los Sombras, and mile-long Sir Francis Drake Boulevard frontage.)
Scott Sherman, PhD
GPOA Landscaping Chairman and Neighbor on North Almenar,
Plus your GPOA Board of Directors
[email protected]
Kentfield/Greenbrae Community Meeting - Moved to November 9
October 31, 2019
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
Please see below and through this link an update from Supervisor Katie Rice.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
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Hello Kentfield/Greenbrae Residents,
Given the recent power outages (PSPS) and associated disruptions, we are going to postpone our community meeting to next Saturday, November 9 (instead of this Saturday). The meeting will be in the same location and same time of day: Saturday, November 9 from 10-11:30am at the Kent Middle School Library in Kentfield.
I hope you all fared well these past few days. I will be interested to hear about your experiences.
Call 415-473-7351 or email [email protected] with questions. Kent Middle School is at 800 College Avenue in Kentfield. The library is on your left as you enter from the parking lot.
Hope you can make it.
Katie
Contact Info:
Supervisor Katie Rice
415-473-7825
[email protected]
www.facebook.com/D2KatieRice
District 2 Aides:
Nancy Vernon
415-473-7351
[email protected]
Jen Gauna
415-473-6159
[email protected]
All public meetings and events sponsored or conducted by the County of Marin are held in accessible sites. Requests for accommodations may be made by calling Nancy Vernon at 415-473-7351 or by e-mail at [email protected] at least five business days in advance of the event. Copies of documents are available in alternative formats, upon request.
Greenbrae Homeowners Newsletter
August 15, 2019
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I hope your summer is going well. Here are links to the 2019 Newsletter and Picnic announcement that should be arriving in your mailbox very soon. The Picnic is scheduled for September 7, 2019, from 1-4 p.m. in Greenbrae School Park, 1 Parkside Way. The GPOA encourages all residents to attend the Picnic. We look forward to seeing you!
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Greenbrae Homeowners Picnic - September 7, 2019, 1-4 pm
July 30, 2019
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
I am writing to let you know the GPOA's Annual Picnic will be on Saturday, September 7, 2019 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m, at Greenbrae School Park, 1 Parkside Way in Greenbrae.
Volunteers Holly Welch, Andrew Roth, and Greg Ulin of Zephyr Real Estate have been hard at work making arrangements for what we know will be another fantastic event. There will be live music, kids games with Bacich PE teacher Coach Shafer, and 3 on 3 basketball. El Huarache will have food for sale and Kentfield Invests in Kids will be selling desserts.
Attached is a postcard that the GPOA soon will be sending to all residents announcing the picnic.
The GPOA encourages you to bring your own blanket/chairs and food/drink and come spend the afternoon meeting your neighbors and enjoying the festivities.
We look forward to seeing you on September 7th!
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Notice of Annual Meeting
April 30, 2019
Hello Greenbrae Residents!
I hope 2019 is treating everyone well! I am writing on behalf of the members of the GPOA’s Board of Directors, who, along with me, are Scott Sherman, David Sternberg, John Holzwarth, Ryan Nelson, and Noreen Kimelman. As volunteers, your Board members are donating significant time to our community. If there are any community members that would like to help serve on the GPOA Board, please send an email to [email protected].
The Board invites you to its Annual Meeting, which will be held on Tuesday, April 30, 2019 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. in the Central Marin Police Authority’s Community Meeting Room located at 250 Doherty Drive in Larkspur.
At the April 30, 2019 meeting we will hear from:
The Board encourages residents to complete and return the 2019-2020 Dues Coupon enclosed with this Newsletter. Unlike the mandatory CSA #16 parcel tax all homeowners pay, our GPOA dues are voluntary. Please contribute to the best of your ability, and, to save postage, please bring your voluntary annual dues with you to the Annual Meeting in the enclosed envelope with the remittance card. Your contributions are our only source of
revenue and are much needed to cover the costs of the picnic, accounting and bookkeeping services, insurance, printing and distribution of newsletters, website maintenance, and some landscaping improvements.
The GPOA Board looks forward to seeing you at the Annual Meeting on Tuesday, April 30, 2019, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., at the Central Marin Police Authority Community Meeting Room, which is located at 250 Doherty Drive in Larkspur.
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Vista Grande NRG Meeting April 29, 2019 (7-8 p.m.)
Posted on April 26, 2019
Dear Vista Grande NRG Neighbors:
Cal Fire has announced fire season has started. Let’s get prepared!
We are forming a neighborhood response group (NRG) to prepare for natural disasters as a community. The Greenbrae Hills (north of Sir Francis Drake Blvd from Manor Drive to Via La Cumbre) has been organized into 7 NRGs.
You live in the Vista Grande NRG if you live on:
Vista Grande NRG Disaster Preparedness and Next Steps Meeting
When: Monday, 4/29, 2019, 7-8 pm
Where: Marin Catholic High School Library, 675 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. 94904
About the meeting:
There are programs and resources we can use now to reduce our communal fire risk and prepare for fire evacuations. But we need folks to know about the NRG program and how we can help each other. Please talk to your neighbors or place the attached doormat flyer at your neighbor’s doormat.
Topics: There are so many different ways, depending on your community’s priorities that NRG Program can help: Some examples
Please see the attached doormat flyer. Please share with your neighbors to help with turnout!
Any questions, please email Laurie Rice, Central Main NRG Program Coordinator at [email protected].
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Altura NRG Meeting April 20, 2019
Posted on April 18, 2019
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I am writing to invite you to join your neighbors in Greenbrae’s “Altura NRG” (see below for included households) for one hour on Saturday, April 20 at 11:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m. in the offices of Zephyr Real Estate, 350 Bon Air Shopping Center, Suite 100. You are a member of the Altura NRG if you live on the streets below.
If you cannot make the meeting, the Altura NRG Steering Committee would be very grateful if you would opt-in to their email list to receive future notices. To do so, please send an email to Laurie Rice at [email protected] and include your street name and number with your email.
Altura NRG:
Attached is an information sheet relating to the April 20th meeting and to becoming an active part of the Altura NRG.
Please RSVP for the April 20th meeting by emailing [email protected].
Very truly yours,
Jack V. Valinoti
GPOA President
Fire Prevention and Safety in Greenbrae
Posted on April 9, 2019
Hi,
After the deadly and massively destructive wildfires the past seasons, all of us are alerted to the importance of being fire-wise and better prepared. But, what can each of us do at our homes and in our community to prevent the same from happening here? The links below are excellent, practical resources to review and adopt. And at our GPOA Annual Meeting on April 30th (see attachment) you can learn and ask questions of Fire Department experts.
In the links below:
To protect our beautiful and cherished community medians and parks, County Service Area 16 (CSA 16) professionals, under the informed and helpful guidance of Fire Department experts, have begun shrub and tree pruning and clearing activities.
Really helpful links:
We hope you will attend our GPOA Annual meeting , Tuesday , April 30th, at 7 pm at the Central Marin Police Community Meeting Room. Fire Department experts will discuss and answer questions on how to manage our garden vegetation and ‘harden’ our homes to resist embers, the main culprit in structural fires.
Best,
Scott
Scott Sherman, GPOA Landscaping Chairman
[email protected]
Navarro Neighborhood Response Group Outreach to Residents
Posted on March 21, 2019
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I am writing to invite you to join your neighbors in Greenbrae’s “Navarro NRG” (see below for included households) for one hour on Monday, March 25th at 7:00 p.m. in the library at Marin Catholic High School. You are a member of the Navarro NRG if you live on the streets below.
If you cannot make the meeting, the Navarro NRG Steering Committee would be very grateful if you would opt-in to their email list to receive future notices. To do so, please send an email to [email protected] and include your street name and number with your email.
Navarro NRG:
Attached is an information sheet relating to the meeting and to becoming an active part of the Navarro NRG.
Please RSVP for the March 25th meeting by emailing [email protected]
Very truly yours,
Jack V. Valinoti
GPOA President
One of Seven “Neighborhood Response Groups” Forming — February 25, 2019 Meeting (6:30-7:30 p.m.)
Posted on February 21, 2019
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I am writing to invite you to join your neighbors in Greenbrae’s newly forming “Navarro NRG” (see below for included households) for one hour on February 25th at 6:30 p.m. in the library at Marin Catholic High School. We are all at risk from earthquakes, mudslides and fires, and official help may not come quickly if the disaster is widespread. This is a chance for us to get organized ahead of the need, and to learn how to help ourselves, our families and our neighbors. We will learn what Marin County and the Cities of Larkspur/Corte Madera are doing about disaster preparedness and planning. We will take the first steps to organizing our NRG – a self-help group to check on neighbors and to guide official relief to those in need following disaster. We will learn how to prepare ourselves to evacuate or shelter in place.
You are a member of the Navarro NRG (one of 7 in Greenbrae) if you live on: Eliseo (#103 – #398), Corte Cayuga (#1 – #90), Corte de Sabla (#5 – #90), Bretano (#205 – #270), Via Barranca (#15 – #299), Via Navarro (#2 – #100), Corte Toluca (#5 – #95), Via La Paz (#1 – #99), Corte Gracitas (#5 – #100), Via Lerida (#101 – #291), or Corte Fedora (#15 – #99).
Please RSVP for the February 25th meeting by emailing Laurie Rice at [email protected]. Specify that you are rsvp’ing for the Feb 25th meeting.
The GPOA has worked with Laurie Rice in forming the other NRG’s for our community. If you are interested in working to help keep the project moving forward, please contact Laurie Rice at [email protected].
Very truly yours,
Jack V. Valinoti
GPOA President
Greenbrae Disaster Neighborhood Response Group Informational Meeting Thursday, November 8, 2018 7-8 pm
Posted on October 31, 2018
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
As was discussed during the GPOA’s October 4, 2018 meeting, the Central Marin Neighborhood Response Group (“NRG”) is being formed in our neighborhood! The Central Marin NRG program has already formed 33 NRGs that cover over 4,500 homes. The Central Marin NRG is holding an informational meeting on Thursday, November 8, 2018, from 7-8 p.m. at the Central Marin Police Authority, 250 Doherty Ave, Larkspur, CA 94939. The GPOA urges all Greenbrae residents to attend this meeting.
The NRG Program helps prepare neighborhoods for 3 scenarios: (1) major earthquake or flood; (2) wildfire evacuation; and (3) fire after a major earthquake. At the meeting you can learn more about:
Please attend the meeting and learn more about how neighbors are helping each other across Central Marin.
Please share this email with your Greenbrae neighbors.
The Managers of Larkspur, Corte Madera and the Central Marin Fire Department all endorse this program as integral to the towns’ disaster preparedness plan.
Please direct questions to Laurie Rice, the NRG Coordinator for Corte Madera and Larkspur, at [email protected] and please visit the NRG’s website http://www.nrgmarin.org/
The GPOA looks forward to seeing you at the meeting on November 8, 2018.
Very truly yours,
Jack V. Valinoti
GPOA President
Supervisor Rice’s October 20, 2018 Kentfield/Greenbrae Community Meeting
Posted on October 4, 2018
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I am writing to let you know that Marin County Supervisor Katie Rice will be hosting a Community Meeting on Saturday, October 20, 2018, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., at the Kent Middle School Library in Kentfield. Supervisor Rice will provide updates on key issues of importance to the community and there will be time for questions, comments, and conversation on any topic of interest to those attending. Please see Supervisor Rice’s notice of the meeting. The GPOA urges all residents to attend this meeting.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
September 29, 2018 GPOA Picnic in the Park
Posted on September 17, 2018
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I trust by now you have received notice that, on Saturday, September 29, 2018, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., there will be a Picnic in the Park at Greenbrae School Park, located at 1 Parkside Way. All members of our community are invited!
The GPOA and the volunteers who organized this Picnic in the Park are excited to announce that The Michael LaMacchia Band will be playing, Coach Shafer will be running his infamous kids’ games, and 3 on 3 basketball games will be played. Please bring a chair/blanket and food/drink, and come join the fun! Also, food will be available for purchase from El Huarache Loco.
We encourage you to come to the Picnic in the Park and meet your neighbors while we celebrate our wonderful community. Please contact Holly Welch by email to [email protected] to volunteer to help with the Picnic in the Park. We welcome the help of kids and adults.
The GPOA is pleased to sponsor this Picnic in the Park and extends a well deserved thank you to volunteers Holly Welch, Andrew Roth, and Greg Ulin, and to sponsors Zephyr Real Estate, Jamba Juice, Frame Crafters Gallery, Orange Theory, and AvidGreen Fine Landscaping, Vineyards, and Backyard Farms. The GPOA appreciates all the hard work Holly, Andrew, and Greg, along with the GPOA Board, have put into organizing the Picnic in the Park.
We look forward to seeing you at the Picnic in the Park!
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Notice of Picnic and Annual Meeting
Posted on September 5, 2018
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I hope you had a nice summer.
I’m writing to let you know that, thanks to the volunteer efforts of Holly Welch, Andrew Roth, and Greg Ulin, the GPOA will have a community picnic on September 29, 2018, from 4-7 p.m. in Greenbrae School Park (on Parkside Way just off Eliseo Drive). Please click the link below to view the picnic notice.
GPOA 2018 Picnic
The GPOA also will have its annual meeting on October 4, 2018 from 7-9 p.m. in the Community Meeting Room of the Central Marin Police Authority. Please click the link below to view the newsletter, which includes an agenda for the meeting.
GPOA 2018 Newsletter
Please also click the link below to view the Fall 2018 landscaping report.
GPOA Fall 2018 Landscaping Report
The GPOA looks forward to seeing you at the picnic and meeting.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
On Street Parking
Posted on June 25, 2017
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I am writing to follow up on the post that you may have seen on NextDoor regarding on street parking in our community. The GPOA understands that, in today’s day and age, homeowners have multiple cars and some use their garage as an extra room or for storage space rather than to park their cars. In addition to the post on NextDoor, the GPOA has received complaints about cars being parked on the street repeatedly and/or for long periods of time. We also have received complaints that on street parking creates a safety hazard on some of the narrow streets in our neighborhood, which not only makes it difficult for cars to travel on these streets but also could present problems for emergency vehicles to get to their destination to provide needed services.
The GPOA reminds residents that the CCRs governing all homes in our community require residents to store their personal property–which includes cars–in the interior of buildings, i.e., in the garage. While we understand that times have changed since the CCRs were written, we urge residents to park their cars in their garage or their driveway rather than on the street. Doing so also could serve to protect against crimes of opportunity. We thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Storing Garbage, Green, and Recycling Cans
Posted on June 20, 2017
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
Recently, the GPOA received several complaints about homeowners leaving their garbage, green, and/or recycling cans near the curb for days and longer after they are emptied by the sanitation service. In addition to being unsightly and against the requirement in the CCRs to store personal property “indoors” (i.e., in a garage or behind a gate or a fence) we received reports of car accidents involving garbage cans that have been left out at the curb. The GPOA reminds all homeowners of the CCRs and asks everyone to remove their cans from the curb within a day after collection.
Our wonderful and beautiful community benefits from this requirement in the CCRs. We thank you for your anticipated cooperation.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Marin Catholic Stadium Lights
Posted on May 22, 2017
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I am writing to let you know that, as you may have read in the Marin IJ or on NextDoor, Marin Catholic High School has decided to withdraw its application to install lights at its stadium. Attached is a copy of the May 11, 2017 letter that the GPOA received from the school’s President, Tim Navone, explaining the school’s decision.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
May 11, 2017 Letter from Tim Navone
Marin Catholic Neighborhood Outreach
Posted on April 27, 2017
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I am writing to let you know that the GPOA received the attached letter from Tim Navone, the President of Marin Catholic High School, who asked the GPOA to share this letter with Greenbrae residents. This letter informs residents that Marin Catholic has created a subcommittee to improve neighbor outreach and, as part of that process, Marin Catholic will be communicating with the GPOA about important activities at the school.
Mr. Navone’s letter describes Marin Catholic’s plan to replace certain trees that have become a safety issue for those using the school’s baseball field. Please review this letter, and, if you have any questions or concerns, please email Mr. Navone at [email protected].
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
March 27, 2017 Letter from Tim Navone
GPOA Annual Meeting: Tuesday, April 11, 2017, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Posted on March 31, 2017
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
I am writing to let you know that the GPOA will be holding its Annual Meeting on Tuesday, April 11, 2017, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Central Marin Police Authority’s Community Meeting Room. Attached for your information is a copy of the GPOA’s newsletter and meeting announcement, which is being prepared for mailing to all residents and should arrive in your mailbox shortly. Also attached is a copy of Scott Sherman’s Landscaping Report. Scott’s report also will be mailed to all residents.
The GPOA urges all residents to attend the Annual Meeting to learn more about Measure A, the mail in ballot Greenbrae residents will be receiving on April 3, 2017 that seeks to increase the annual CSA 16 parcel tax from $150 to $300 to provide funds for needed capital improvements to our common landscaping areas. The GPOA hopes to see you at the meeting on April 11, 2017.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
GPOA 2017 Landscaping Report
GPOA 2017 Newsletter and Notice of Annual Meeting
GPOA Meeting Regarding Measure A, March 14, 2017, Bacich Library, 7 p.m.
Posted on March 14, 2017
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I am writing regarding the GPOA’s upcoming meeting concerning Measure A to provide you with the attached Agenda and handouts in advance of the meeting. The GPOA invites all Greenbrae residents to attend the meeting to learn more about Measure A, the April 2017 mail in ballot to determine whether to increase the annual CSA 16 parcel tax from $150 to $300.
Very truly yours,
Jack V. Valinoti
GPOA President
GPOA March 14, 2017 Meeting Agenda and Handouts
GPOA Meeting Next TUESDAY, March 14th, regarding CSA 16 Parcel Tax Increase
Posted on March 14, 2017
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I am writing to clarify that the GPOA’s informational meeting relating to the CSA 16 parcel tax increase will be held on TUESDAY, March 14, 2017, not Wednesday at the Bacich School Library at 7-9 pm. We apologize for the error. Also, attached is a flyer providing additional information relating to Measure A. The GPOA looks forward to seeing you at the meeting on Tuesday, March 14, 2017.
Very truly yours,
Scott Sherman
Chairman, GPOA’s Landscaping Committee
GPOA Meeting Regarding CSA 16 Parcel Tax Increase: March 14, 2017, 7-9 p.m., Bacich School Library
Posted on March 3, 2017
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
The Greenbrae Property Owners Association is hosting a meeting to provide residents with information relating to the parcel tax increase that is subject to a mail-in ballot from Greenbrae residents. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 14, 2017, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., at the Bacich School Community Room. The GPOA invites all Greenbrae residents to attend this meeting to learn about the proposed increase from $150 to $300 in the annual parcel tax that is used to maintain and improve the many and varied landscape areas in Greenbrae.
My November 22, 2016 email below informed Greenbrae residents that the CSA 16 Advisory Board had scheduled a Special Meeting on November 30, 2016, at which the CSA 16 Advisory Board would recommend to the County Board of Supervisors that a mail-in ballot be held to increase the tax. My email also provided a link to financial data and analyses relating to the funds generated by the tax and the historical and projected expenses for maintenance and improvements. That link is below. At the November 30, 2016 meeting, the CSA 16 Advisory Board recommended that the tax be increased from $150 to $300 per year.
In January 2017, the County Board of Supervisors placed a $150 increase of the annual tax on the ballot. The ballots will be mailed on April 2, 2017 and will be due by May 2, 2017. The ballots will be sent to Greenbrae residents who own homes in the area North of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard between Highway 101 and Manor Road. The area of Greenbrae that is subject to the tax is bounded by Via La Cumbre, Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, and Manor Road, and up to but not including Bret Harte Road. The entries to Greenbrae are at Eliseo, La Cuesta Drive, Manor Road, Via La Cumbre (from the North from San Rafael), and Altura Way (from Bret Harte Road). The homes in Greenbrae on the South of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard are not subject to the tax and will not receive mail-in ballots. Attached is a map showing the area of Greenbrae covered by CSA 16.
Representatives from the GPOA, the CSA 16 Advisory Board, and the County of Marin will attend the meeting to provide information and answer questions. The GPOA urges all Greenbrae residents to attend the meeting to learn more about the need to increase the tax, and hopes to see you there on March 14, 2017.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Link to CSA 16 Advisory Board November 30, 2016 Meeting Handout:
http://www.marincounty.org/~/media/files/departments/pk/about-us/agendas-minutes/2016/csa-16/meeting_11_30_16/16_11_30_csa16_specialmtg_handout.pdf?la=en.
CSA 16 Area
Sir Francis Drake Boulevard Rehabilitation Project Environmental Impact Report Scoping Meeting on January 10, 2017
Posted on December 30, 2016
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I’m writing to let you know that, as the next step in the Sir Francis Drake Boulevard Rehabilitation project process, the County of Marin will be preparing an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the project. In connection with the EIR, the County of Marin is soliciting comments on specific issues to be included in the environmental review. The County of Marin encourages public comments on the scope of issues to be evaluated. In addition, the County of Marin will conduct a public scoping meeting on Tuesday, January 10, 2017, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., at the Bacich School Multipurpose Room, which is located at 699 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in Kentfield. The County of Marin invites all interested members of the public to attend this meeting and present verbal or written comments on the scope of issues to be evaluated in the EIR. The Greenbrae Property Owners Association encourages residents of our community to attend this meeting.
The County of Marin also will accept will accept written comments about the scope of the EIR until 4:00 p.m. on January 17, 2017. Comments can be sent by mail to the attention of Rachel Reid, Environmental Planning Manager, at 3501 Civic Center Drive, Suite 308, San Rafael, California, 94903. Comments also can be submitted by email to [email protected]. You can view the full Notice of Preparation by clicking the following link:
http://www.marincounty.org/~/media/files/departments/pw/transportation/proj_sfdb/scoping_nop_notice.pdf?la=en
The County of Marin’s website for the project has additional information about the project and the EIR, including an information sheet on the scoping process and the scoping meeting. You can view the project’s webpage by clicking the following link:
http://www.marincounty.org/depts/pw/divisions/transportation/sir-francis-drake-boulevard-rehabilitation
The Greenbrae Property Owners Association hopes to see you at the January 10, 2017 scoping meeting.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
CSA 16 Parcel Tax Increase
Posted on November 22, 2016
Dear Greenbrae Homeowners,
I am writing about the $150 annual parcel tax we all pay for landscape maintenance and improvements for our parks, Sir Francis Drake Boulevard frontage, and plentiful median islands throughout Greenbrae. The tax has been $150 since 1993. The revenue generated by the tax has funded maintenance and many significant capital improvement projects over the last 20+ years. Yet, many islands and medians have not been improved in over 50 years and maintenance costs continue to rise. The fixed amount of revenue will not be sufficient to complete needed landscape improvements, in addition to maintenance, in the near future unless the tax is increased.
The GPOA, the CSA 16 Advisory Board, and the County of Marin have studied historical and projected expenses for maintaining and improving the landscaping in our community. The CSA 16 Advisory Board has scheduled a Special Meeting for Wednesday, November 30, 2016 at which it will recommend to the County Board of Supervisors that a mail-in ballot vote be held in May 2017 to increase the tax. You can review the Agenda and Handout (with the historical and projected analysis) for the Special Meeting by following the links below. I urge you to do so. The links provide detailed financial information that the CSA 16 Advisory Board and the County prepared and analyzed relating to the tax revenue and upcoming projected expenses, including landscape improvement projects completed in the last 20 years and many projects that remain to be completed across Greenbrae.
In summary, the $150 tax since 1993 has allowed the landscaping in our beautiful community to be maintained and significantly improved over the past 20 years. Those of you who lived in Greenbrae 25 years ago know the significance of the improvements that have been made. The $150 tax is not, however, sufficient to continue with improvements. After reviewing all the information provided in the links below, the CSA 16 Advisory Board and the GPOA Board support an increase of at least $150 per year, which would raise the assessment to $300. This revenue increase will allow capital improvements to continue.
The GPOA is interested in your opinion. Would you support a $150 increase? Are you against any increase? Are you in favor of a smaller increase (say $100) or a higher increase (say $200 or more), which would allow for improvements to be made sooner?
The GPOA would like to hear from you. Please send an email to [email protected] to let your GPOA Board know your opinion or if you would like any additional information.
We look forward to hearing from you and ask you to share this email with all Greenbrae homeowners so we can obtain the input of as many residents as possible. Thank you.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Agenda
http://www.marincountyparks.org/depts/pk/about-us/main/agendasminutes/2016/2016/csa-16/november_2016
Handout
http://www.marincounty.org/~/media/files/departments/pk/about-us/agendas-minutes/2016/csa-16/meeting_11_30_16/16_11_30_csa16_specialmtg_handout.pdf?la=en.
Kentfield Planning Advisory Board Meeting September 14, 2016 — Marin Catholic H.S. Use Permit Application
Posted on September 11, 2016
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I am writing to let you know the Kentfield Planning Advisory Board (KPAB) will be holding a meeting at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 14, 2016, during which the Use Permit Application that Marin Catholic H.S. filed with the County of Marin to install stadium lighting will be discussed. The meeting will take place in Deedy Lounge, Student Center, at the College of Marin. This agenda item will be discussed after other agenda items. During the meeting, KPAB will review additional material Marin Catholic H.S. submitted to the County in response to the County Planner’s incomplete list. This meeting also will provide an opportunity for KPAB and the public to provide comments regarding environmental issues raised by the application. The GPOA urges all interested residents to attend this meeting and hopes to see you there.
Very truly yours,
Jack V. Valinoti
GPOA President
Marin County Parks Discovery Day April 23
Posted on April 12, 2016
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I am writing to let you know that the Marin County Parks Department is having a Discovery Day at Hal Brown Park (in Greenbrae on Bon Air Road) on Saturday, April 23, 2016 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The GPOA encourages residents to join the County for a day of discovery and play where residents can learn about upcoming projects and provide their comments and input about this neighborhood park. There will be a scavenger hunt, nature walks, snacks, refreshments, and, last but not least, Earth Day festivities. Attached is a flyer for the event. The GPOA hopes to see you there on April 23, 2016.
Very truly yours,
Jack V. Valinoti
GPOA President
Marin County Parks Discovery Day April 23
May 7, 2016 Debate Among Candidates for Marin County District 2 Supervisor
Posted on April 17, 2016
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I am writing to let you know that there will be a debate among the three candidates for Marin County District 2 Supervisor on Saturday, May 7, 2016 between 4:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. This debate will take place at the College of Marin’s new Academic Center, Room 225, and is sponsored by Friends of Kentfield, Woodlands Sponsors, and the Ross Property Owners’ Association. The three candidates Katie Rice, Kevin Haroff, and Frank Egger will attend this opportunity for the voters of District 2 to hear from the candidates who are running to represent our community. Although other debates have been held among the 13 candidates running for three different Districts, this debate will focus on our District. Attendees will be invited to submit their questions about our District on topics that affect our community such as high density housing, traffic congestion on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard and the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, and County pensions. The GPOA encourages all Greenbrae residents to attend this debate and looks forward to seeing you there.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Supervisor Rice’s Winter 2016 Newsletter
Posted on April 12, 2016
Dear Greenbrae Residents, Attached for your information is a copy of Supervisor Rice’s Winter 2016 Newsletter. Very truly yours, Jack V. Valinoti GPOA President Supervisor Rice’s Winter 2016 Newsletter
May 7, 2016 Community May Day Celebration
Posted on April 12, 2016
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I am writing to let you know that the Kentfield-Greenbrae Historical Society (KGHS) is having a May Day Community Celebration on Saturday, May 7, 2016 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and to invite you to attend this event, which will take place at Kent Middle School. You may recall that, two years ago, the KGHS organized the Centennial of the Kent School. This event was a tremendous success with over 2,500 community members in attendance. This year, the KGHS is celebrating the entire Kentfield and Greenbrae community with an afternoon of vintage kids’ games, maypole dancing, the Kent Jazz Student Band, historical displays, Kentfield student project, historical tours by the Kent Student History Club, and food trucks. Attached is a poster for the event. The KGHS is thrilled to welcome the following local organizations to its Community Hall:
Kentfield Fire Department
College of Marin
Marin General Hospital
Kent Woodlands Property Owner’s Association
Greenbrae Property Owners Association
Kentfield Schools PTA
Kentfield Schools kik Foundation
Kentfield School District
Kentfield Schools District Safe Routes to School Program
Kentfield Planning Advisory Board
Friends of Corte Madera Creek
Ross Valley Nursery School
Corte Madera Creek Improvement Project (Flood Prevention Project)
Sir Francis Drake Rehabilitation Project (with Supervisor Katie Rice)
Assemblyman Marc Levine
The Marin Independent Journal (with editor Robert Sterling and Opinion Page Editor Brad Breithaupt)
Marin County Library
Rustic Bakery (which will serve donated baked goods)
Peets Coffee Bon Air (which will serve donated coffee)
If you would like to volunteer to help with this event, please use the following link to sign up: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050a4eac238-mayday. The KGHS especially encourages students interested in earning Community Service hours to help with the kids’ games!
The GPOA and the KGHS hope to have strong local participation in this free, community event. Everyone is warmly welcome! For more information about the KGHS, see www.kghs.org.
Very truly yours,
Jack V. Valinoti
GPOA President
May Day 2016 Poster
March 9, 2016 KPAB Meeting Regarding the Sir Francis Drake Rehabilitation Project
Posted on March 5, 2016
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I am writing to let you know that there is a meeting of the Kentfield Planning Advisory Board on March 9, 2016 with Marin County Principal Transportation Planner Dan Dawson to review the proposed possibilities for the Sir Francis Drake Rehabilitation Project. The project affects Sir Francis Drake Boulevard from Highway 101 to the Kentfield/Ross town line, including the portion of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard that passes through our community. This meet is taking place at 7:30 p.m. in the Deedy Lounge, Student Center at the College of Marin.
There also is a community meeting for this project on Tuesday, March 15, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. at Kent Middle School.
The Greenbrae Property Owners Association encourages all Greenbrae residents to attend these meetings.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Marin Catholic Stadium Lights — Kentfield Planning Advisory Board Meeting on January 27, 2016 at 7:30
Posted on January 24, 2016
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I am writing to let you know that Marin Catholic High School has submitted an application to the County of Marin relating to the school’s proposal to add lights to its stadium. In connection with the application, the Kentfield Planning Advisory Board is having a meeting on January 27, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. at the Deedy Lounge, Student Center, of the College of Marin. Deedy Lounge is in the lowest floor of the Student Center, in the corner building nearest the creek and the new science building. You may have to go through the cafeteria and should look for a sign on the door.
According to the agenda for the KPAB meeting, Marin Catholic is requesting approval to allow for installation of a field lighting system at the school’s outdoor football field. The system would be comprised of four 80-foot tall light poles with differing fixture arrays, installed on the 10 yard line at each side of the field. LED lamp fixtures would be affixed to each pole for lighting during evening hours. Proposed poles at the north side of the field (closest to the parking lot) would feature 19 fixtures, 16 at top and three at about 15 feet. The two poles on the field’s south side (in front of the home bleachers) would have 16 fixtures. The poles would consist of in-ground concrete bases and 80-foot tall galvanized steel poles. The fixtures would utilize a Light Structure Green System from Musco Lighting Systems and 50 to 1,500-watt LEDs would be used to provide a 50-foot candle illumination average. The system would feature a “dimmed” setting, which would be used for games that do require full lighting, as well as after completion of games. Additional path lighting is to be installed along pedestrian pathways for illumination of bleachers and paths surrounding the field.
Overall, the system would be used for 514 games and practices annually: Freshman football games on Thursdays at 6 p.m., Junior Varsity football games on Fridays from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., and Varsity football games from 7:00 to 9:30 p.m. The system also would be used for overlapping evening practices, with 110 total football practices and 225 lacrosse and soccer practices proposed. These practices would end at 9:00 p.m. The majority of evening games and practices would be from November through February.
The GPOA encourages all interested residents to attend this meeting on January 27, 2016.
Residents can view the application at: www.marincatholic.org/Page/Stadium-Lights.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
GPOA Meeting on Thursday, December 10 at 7pm at the Bacich School Library
Posted on December 9, 2015
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
Just a reminder about the upcoming GPOA meeting on Thursday, December 10 at 7pm at the Bacich School Library (699 Sir Francis Drake). The County will be presenting the Sir Francis Drake Rehabilitation project and the current alternatives. It’s a good opportunity for you to learn more about the project, discuss, and provide input.
Note that the annual craft fair in the Bacich community center will just be ending at 7pm, so the parking lot will be impacted. Please allow extra time for your arrival and plan accordingly.
Hope to see you Thursday.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
SFD Corridor Project – Meeting with Greenbrae Community
Posted on December 2, 2015
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
As I hope you are aware, the County of Marin has planned a $13 million project to rehabilitate the Sir Francis Drake Boulevard corridor from 101 to the Ross town limits. The specific details of the plans have not been finalized. The County has had two Community Workshops (in May and November), a meeting with community leaders (in July) and has presented various alternatives at a meeting of the Kentfield Planning Advisory Board (in October).
GPOA is hosting a meeting on December 10, 2015, beginning at 7:00 p.m., at the Bacich School Library (699 Sir Frances Drake), for the County to present the project and the current alternatives. The GPOA encourages all residents to attend this meeting to learn more about the project, provide input, and learn how to stay involved.
The GPOA hopes to see you at this meeting on December 10, 2015.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Almenar Median Planting project
Posted on November 7, 2015
Dear Neighbors,
Please see the attached letter and map from Sarah Richards, a Landscape Architect with the County Parks Department, announcing an imminent project to improve sections of landscaping on two median islands along Almenar Drive. This is the result of constructive input from many residents on these blocks as well as significant time and resources provided by the County Parks Department and the GPOA and County Service Area 16 Advisory Boards (comprised of homeowners from across Greenbrae.)
Best,
Scott Sherman
GPOA Landscaping Chairman
CSA 16 Almenar Median Construction Notice letter
November 18, 2015 Sir Francis Drake Corridor Improvement Project Community Workshop
Posted on November 5, 2015
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
The County of Marin is holding a Community Workshop on Wednesday, November 18, 2015 at 7 p.m. at the College of Marin to present initial concepts for addressing traffic flow and safety issues in the Sir Francis Drake Boulevard corridor. The GPOA invites all Greenbrae residents to attend this Community Workshop and hopes to see you there.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Supervisor Rice’s November 7, 2015 Kentfield/Greenbrae Community Meeting
Posted on November 5, 2015
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
Marin County Supervisor Katie Rice is holding a Kentfield/Greenbrae Community Meeting on Saturday, November 7, 2015 from 10-11 a.m. at the Kent Middle School Library. Supervisor Rice will begin the meeting with updates on key issues of importance to our community followed by time for questions and comments. The GPOA invites Greenbrae residents to attend and hopes to see you there.
For your information, attached is Supervisor Rice’s Fall 2015 Newsletter.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
November 12, 2015 Meeting Regarding Marin Catholic’s Lights Project
Posted on November 5, 2015
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I am writing to let you know that Marin Catholic High School is hosting a meeting at 7:00 p.m. on November 12, 2015 at the Bacich Elementary School Community Center during which Marin Catholic will present its lights project to the public prior to submitting an application to the County of Marin. The project involves installing LED lights around the athletic stadium. The GPOA invites all residents to attend this meeting and hopes to see you there.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
October 28, 2015 Kentfield Planning Advisory Board Meeting Regarding the Sir Francis Drake Corridor Rehabilitation Project
Posted on October 12, 2015
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
I am writing to let you know that there will be a presentation of various possibilities for the Sir Francis Drake corridor on October 28, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. This presentation will be part of the Kentfield Planning Advisory Board meeting and will take place at the College of Marin. On behalf of the GPOA, I have attended a community workshop and a community leaders meeting on this project, which will impact our community. The GPOA encourages all residents to attend this meeting to become informed about the project. We hope to see you there on the 28th.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
Bay-Friendly Blog: Wildfire Season Is Here–Are You Prepared?
Posted on August 9, 2015
The following is a posting from the Bay-Friendly Blog. You may find the original posting here.
Defensible space is the area around your home that has been modified to reduce the effects of wildfire. The following actions can help turn your yard into a defensible space:
Cutting annual grasses within 30-100’ of your home.
Pruning all tree branches a minimum of 10 feet off the ground, and at least 10 feet away from roof lines, decks and chimneys.
Breaking up fuel continuity by creating islands of vegetation and removing flammable materials between them.
Removing highly flammable vegetation such as juniper, bamboo, scotch broom and eucalyptus. Not only do these plants create intense fires, they produce embers that can travel long distances and start new spot fires.
Flammable plants should be removed and replaced with fire resistant, drought tolerant plants.
The City of Mill Valley recently constructed a fire resistive/defensible space garden near its public safety building. Here is a plant list from the project:
Agave Attenuata – Fox Tail Agave
Campanula Portenschlagiana – Bellflower
Cercis Occidentalis – Western Redbud
Cistus Salvifolius ‘Prostratus’ – Rock Rose
Correa Reflexa ‘Cape Green’ – Cape Green Fuchsia
Erigeron X Moerheimi – Pink Santa Barbara Daisy
Eschscholzia Californica – California Poppy
Festuca Glauca ‘Elijah Blue’ – Elijah Blue Fescue
Lavandula ‘Provence’ – French Lavender
Limonium Perezii – Sea Lavender
Olea Europaea – European Olive
Mimulus Aurantiacus – Sticky Monkey Flower
Nepeta Faassenii ‘Walkers Low’ – Cat Mint
Penstemon Heterophyllus – Foothill Penstemon
Phormium Tenax ‘Dusky Chief’ – New Zealand Flax ‘Dusky Chief’
Phormium ‘Tiny Tiger’ – Tiny Tiger Flax
Salvia Apiana – White Sage
Thymus Serpyllum – Creeping Thyme
Verbena Bonariensis – Purpletop Vervain
Home Wildfire Protection
In addition to creating a defensible space in your yard around your home, it is also important to evaluate the fire safety of your house itself. An ember from a wildfire can drop into your gutter, under the deck or in a dry potted plant that can start a fire and threaten your house. The following actions can help protect your home:
Make sure your street address is clearly visible from the street.
Install a spark arrester on your chimney to prevent embers from leaving your chimney.
Remove the dead needles and debris from your gutters.
Clear storage and clutter from under your decks and up against your house.
Remove dead or dry potted plants from around your house.
Patio cushions and other storage on a deck or patio pose a threat if an ember was to drop on them.
You can never be 100% safe from the risk of a wildfire, but if you take the actions listed above you will significantly improve the fire safety of your home.
-Scott Barnes, Mill Valley Fire Department
Scott Barnes is the Battalion Chief-Operations of the Mill Valley Fire Department and works to educate the public about fire safety.
June 10, 2015 Kentfield Planning Advisory Board Meeting
Posted on June 9, 2015 by Administrator
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I apologize for the late notice but I am writing to let you know the Kentfield Planning Advisory Board (“KPAB”) is having a meeting on June 10, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. with a group of parents and officials from Marin Catholic High School (“MC”) to discuss MC’s desire to install lights at its football stadium. This is a preliminary meeting to explore MC’s proposal as MC has not filed any application to install lights with the County of Marin. KPAB has asked that I inform Greenbrae residents and invite residents to attend this meeting, which will take place at the Deedy Lounge, Student Center, at the College of Marin. MC representatives have informed me that MC is planning a community outreach program that will give Greenbrae and Kentfield residents multiple opportunities to provide input. The GPOA urges all interested residents to attend this meeting.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
GPOA Annual Meeting May 18, 2015 at 7:00 p.m.
Posted on May 3, 2015
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I am writing to let you know the GPOA Board has scheduled our Annual Meeting for Monday, May 18, 2015 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Central Marin Police Authority’s Community Meeting Room, which is located at 250 Doherty Avenue in Larkspur. Attached is the Newsletter and Spring 2015 Landscaping Report we have prepared in advance of the meeting. These items have been printed and delivered to the post office. They should be arriving at your homes shortly. The GPOA Board hopes you can make it to the Annual Meeting and looks forward to seeing you there.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
GPOA 2015 Newsletter
GPOA Spring 2015 Landscaping Report
Please Store Your Garbage Pails
Posted on April 19, 2015
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
The GPOA has recently received several comments and/or complaints about neighbors who leave their garbage pails at the curb seven days a week, 24 hours a day. I’m writing to remind residents that our CCRs require homeowners to store their personal property within the interior of their buildings. While the GPOA understand that it may not be practical for all homeowners to store their garbage pails in their garage, leaving your garbage pails at the curb violates the CCRs. The GPOA reminds residents of the requirements of the CCRs and asks that all homeowners store their garbage pails inside the interior of their buildings, behind a fence, or alongside their homes rather than at the curb. Complying with the CCRs enhances the overall beauty of our wonderful neighborhood. Thank you for your anticipated cooperation.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Upcoming Closure of East Sir Francis Drake Boulevard — March 26-28, 2015
Posted on March 10, 2015
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
The City of Larkspur has notified the GPOA of the upcoming closure of East Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in the late evening and early morning hours on March 26-28, 2015. Please see the attached closure notification and detour map the GPOA received from the City for further information.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
Closure Notification- Final
Detour Map
Bon Air Center Refresh Project Meeting December 1, 2014 at 7:00 p.m.
Posted on November 20, 2014
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
I am writing to let you know Crome Architecture, a local architecture and planning firm that has been working with Greenbrae Management, Inc., contacted the GPOA regarding plans to improve and enhance the common areas of the Bon Air Center. The owners of the Bon Air Center understand and appreciate the fact that the surrounding community takes a special interest in the Bon Air Center. The owners are proud to announce a proposed Refresh Project to improve the public areas of Bon Air Center.
The Bon Air Center Refresh Project Team would like to invite all interested community members to a meeting at which the project will be presented in an informal manner that will allow plenty of time for questions and answers. The meeting will not be the official City of Larkspur public hearing on the project. That hearing will be held sometime next year during the Design Review hearing before the City of Larkspur Planning Commission.
This informal meeting will be held in the Community Meeting room at Drake’s Landing, adjacent to Jason’s Restaurant, which is located at 300 Drake’s Landing Road, on Monday, December 1, 2014 at 7:00 p.m.
Crome Architecture and the owners of the Bon Air Center look forward to meeting with the community and presenting this exciting project, which is designed to greatly enhance the Bon Air Center experience for all of its customers.
The GPOA encourages all Greenbrae residents to attend this meeting.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Voluntary Dues
Posted on November 10, 2014
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
The GPOA reminds residents we do not have mandatory dues; our dues are voluntary. We endeavor to mail out dues cards two times per year to encourage residents to contribute as and when they can. The GPOA has received comments from residents after we send out our second voluntary dues card of the year. These comments ask the GPOA to “please check its records” or inform the GPOA a resident has “already paid” their dues. Please note we send the second dues cards to all residents regardless of whether a contribution has already been received from that resident for a particular year. We thank all residents who make a voluntary contribution to the GPOA.
Thank you again for your support of the GPOA.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
PG&E Gas Lines
Posted on November 6, 2014
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
I am writing to let you know that PG&E recently repaired a leak in a gas line in our neighborhood (on Vista Grande) and PG&E representatives have asked the GPOA to provide the information below to our residents.
PG&E customers can schedule a free appliance safety inspection if they have any concerns about gas line leaks. The number to call is (800) 743-5000. When prompted, press “4″ and, when prompted again, say “Service Request,” and, when prompted again, say “Appointment.”
Some of the appliances that PG&E inspects are furnaces, water heaters, ovens, ranges, hot tubs, pool heaters, clothes dryers, and gas fireplaces.
If residents smell gas, they should immediately move away from the area and call 911, or call PG&E at (800) 743-5000.
For additional safety tips and information about PG&E, please visit www.pge.com/safety.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Kentfield/Greenbrae Community Meeting – Saturday, November 8, 2014 (10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.)
Posted on October 22, 2014
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
Marin County Supervisor Katie Rice is holding a meeting on Saturday, November 8, 2014 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Bacich Community Center to provide residents with updates on transportation/congestion relief efforts and the County of Marin’s draft housing element. Please see the attached PDF, which the GPOA received from Supervisor Rice. The GPOA urges all residents to attend this event.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
November 8, 2014 Community Meeting
Mosquito Control
Posted on September 13, 2014
Dear Neighbor,
The message below pertains to residents in the northwest sector of Greenbrae. The Marin/Sonoma Mosquito and Vector Control District is working hard to locate and eliminate sources of mosquitos and needs permission from homeowners to inspect for these sources. They are working hard and quite intelligently to identify large and small water sources where the mosquitos are breeding. I’ve highlighted in red below a key item in the email received this morning from the District.
Thanks for your help with this important issue.
Best,
Scott
Scott Sherman, GPOA Landscaping Chairman
www.greenbrae.org
Greenbrae Property Owners’ Association (GPOA)
P.O. Box 383
Kentfield, California 94904
Click Below to Sign Up and Receive Occasional, Important Notices about issues in our community at:
http://greenbrae.org/mailman/listinfo/greenbrae_homeowners_greenbrae.org
From: Erik Hawk
Date: Friday, September 12, 2014 at 11:06 AM
To: Scott Sherman
Cc: John Walker
Subject: Mosquito Control
Hello Mr. Sherman,
I have been informed of a mosquito production and control issue that currently exists in Kentfield, in the North Almenar Drive area. We have found some swimming pools lacking proper maintenance and producing mosquitoes and have taken care of them. However, our adult mosquito traps continue to collect an abundance of several species of mosquitoes within the community. The mosquito species collected can cause substantial irritation and two of them are capable of transmitting West Nile virus. Our Vector Control Technician working in the area, Chris Mohrman, has left informational brochures on the front doors of several homes requesting that the homeowners contact him so he can perform mosquito surveillance in backyards, hopefully find the sources of water and larval mosquito production, and perform mosquito control if necessary. Unfortunately, we have received very few responses from the homeowners. It is imperative that we are able to perform proper mosquito surveillance and locate the sources of mosquito production in a timely manner. The mosquito species we are finding can fly a considerable distance from the water source(s) and transmit disease to surrounding communities. The District’s intent in gaining access to properties within the community is to control mosquito populations, minimize discomfort to the residents, and reduce the potential for transmission of a pathogen such as West Nile virus. Our intent is not to create an inconvenience or any other issues for the residents.
We understand that you are a leader in the Home Owners Association for the aforementioned area. If you could please distribute this e-mail to the homeowners/residents in the HOA and ask them to please call Marin/Sonoma Mosquito and Vector Control District – Vector Control Technician Chris Mohrman at 707-974-1204 to discuss mosquito control on their properties and allow for a brief mosquito inspection it would be of significant assistance.
Thank you in advance for your assistance and attention to this matter. If you or the members of the HOA have any questions please have a look at our website at www.msmosquito.com , contact Chris Mohrman at 707-974-1204, or Marin County Field Supervisor John Walker at 707-974-2236.
Sincerely,
Erik
Erik Hawk
Assistant Manager
Marin/Sonoma Mosquito and Vector Control District
595 Helman Lane
Cotati, CA. 94931
707-285-2200
www.msmosquito.com
Save the Hoops Has Succeeded
Posted on August 31, 2014
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
I am pleased to report the tireless efforts of Deirdre Evershed and her family to “Save the Hoops” in Greenbrae School Park have paid off. The Evershed’s persistence and fund raising, coupled with the work of Mary Grace Houlihan of the City of Larkspur’s Department of Public Works, will be on display at the upcoming Annual GPOA BBQ on Sunday, September 7, 2014. I hope all of you will attend the BBQ and get to see the newly restored basketball court and hoops at the park.
In the meantime, please be aware parts of the park will be under construction on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, September 1, 2, and 3, 2014 as the City completes the work on the basketball court and hoops. I trust our community can live with this short period of inconvenience.
Thanks again to the Evershed family for spearheading this effort to Save the Hoops. Very well done!
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Annual Greenbrae Property Owners Association BBQ (September 7, 2014)
Posted on August 13, 2014
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
The Annual Greenbrae Property Owners Association BBQ is coming up soon.
Please mark your calendars: Sunday, September 7, 2014, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Come and meet your new neighbors, or visit with neighbors you haven’t seen in awhile.
There will be games, music, food, and fun!
Greenbrae School Park on Parkview Circle (off Eliseo)
More details to follow as we get closer!
We are looking forward to seeing you all there!
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Proposed development plan for the Larkspur Landing area
Posted on May 18, 2014
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
The City of Larkspur is encouraging the public to review the proposed development plan for the Larkspur Landing area, which is known as the Smart Area Plan, and to submit comments by the deadline of Monday, June 2, 2014 at 5:00 p.m. Comments may be emailed to: [email protected] or may be mailed to Neil Toft, Director of Planning and Building, City of Larkspur, 400 Magnolia Avenue, Larkspur, CA 94939.
In addition to the City of Larkspur’s website, http://www.ci.larkspur.ca.us/, Greenbrae residents can find additional information on the Smart Area Plan at the following website: http://www.larkspurfightsback.com
The Larkspur City Council and Planning Commission are holding one joint public meeting before the June 2, 2014 comment deadline. The joint meeting is on Thursday, May 22, 2014, at 6:30 p.m. at the Hall Middle School Gymnasium, which is located at 200 Doherty Drive in Larkspur.
The GPOA encourages all residents to attend the May 22, 2014 meeting and to express their comments on the Smart Area Plan by the June 2, 2014 deadline.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Community Meeting Announcement and Newsletter
Posted on April 20, 2014
Hello GPOA Neighbors,
Please see the attached Kentfield/Greenbrae community meeting announcement for next Saturday, 4-26 from 10-11:30am at the Bacich Community Meeting. The focus of the meeting will be discussion of development and planning issues in Ross Valley. The email includes a link to Supervisor Rice’s Spring newsletter that addresses issues of concern in the community.
Thank You,
Ron Peluso
GPOA Board Member
Attachment
March 3, 2014 Community Meeting
Posted on March 28, 2014
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
On March 3, 2014, the Greenbrae Property Owners Association hosted a Community Meeting at the Central Marin Police Authority’s station house. Approximately fifteen members of law enforcement, including CMPA Chief Todd Cusimano, Marin County Sheriff Robert Doyle, California Highway Patrol Captain Shon Harris, along with Marin County Supervisor Katie Rice and Larkspur City Councilmembers Catherine May and Kevin Harloff attended this meeting. Approximately 80 residents also attended. The GPOA thanks everyone who organized, presented at, and attended this meeting, which lasted for over two hours. The following summary captures some of the issues that were discussed:
Crime levels in Greenbrae in 2013 were below the average of the last ten years.
Many of the robberies in the area result in arrests. The CMPA is going to work to communicate the results of investigations so people better understand the whole issue.
The recent armed robbery in Greenbrae is under investigation. There is a good lead on the case and the criminals may already be in custody for another crime. The crime was not random; it appears that the criminals did not rob their intended victims.
Solutions such as private security patrols, dedicated Sheriff’s deputies, security cameras, and license plate readers were discussed.
Please send an email to [email protected] if you are interested in devoting your time to working on improving neighborhood security by joining the working group of concerned homeowners the GPOA has organized.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
March 3, 2014 Community Meeting with the Central Marin Police Authority and the Marin County Sheriff’s Office
Posted on February 15, 2014
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
The Greenbrae Property Owners Association invites you to a community meeting that is being hosted by the Central Marin Police Authority and the Marin County Sheriff’s Department to discuss crime in Greenbrae. The meeting will be held on Monday, March 3, 2014 from 7-9 p.m. at the Central Marin Police Authority Community Conference Room.
The GPOA also is interested in your opinions and has developed an anonymous survey. Please take the survey included in this email so the GPOA can assess the views of our residents relating to security issues. Please click on the link below and take the brief survey.
The GPOA looks forward to seeing you on March 3, 2014.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Notice: Community Meeting
Re: Crime in Greenbrae
Date: Monday, March 3, 2014
Time: 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Place: Central Marin Police Authority Community Conference Room
Address: 250 Doherty Dr, Larkspur, CA 94939
No RSVP needed, please arrive promptly.
To take the survey, click here:
http://kwiksurveys.com/s.asp?sid=0mplpewkdzrgex4301159
Letter from Supervisor Rice Regarding License Plate Readers
Posted on December 8, 2013
Dear Greenbrae Homeowners:
Attached for your information is a copy of a letter the GPOA received from Supervisor Katie Rice following up on the topic of license plate readers that was discussed at the September 2013 meeting Supervisor Rice conducted for our community.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Attachment
September 11, 2013 Kentfield/Greenbrae Community Meeting
Posted on August 26, 201
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
Marin County Supervisor has scheduled a community meeting for September 11, 2013 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Bacich School Library.
Supervisor Rice will be joined by representatives of the Marin County Sheriff’s Department and the Central Marin Police Authority and will provide an update on crime and crime prevention in our area as well as provide an update on the Highway 101 / Greenbrae Interchange Improvement Project and other relevant projects.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Marin Catholic High School Hotline for Noise Complaints/Concerns
Posted on August 11, 2013
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
Marin Catholic High School has established a hotline to register noise complaints/concerns. The phone number is (415) 295-2180. If you do register a complaint/concern, please also send an email to “[email protected]” and copy the school’s President Tim Navone at “[email protected].” Doing so will help the school and the GPOA keep track of the complaints/concerns.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Marin County Sheriff’s Office Crime Reporting System
Posted on August 9, 2013
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
Following the June 2013 meeting Marin County Supervisor Katie Rice had with residents of Greenbrae and Kentfield, Supervisor Rice explored establishing an on-line system for providing local crime data to better inform concerned residents about incidents in our neighborhoods. Recently, the Marin County Sheriff’s office established such a tool. Here is a link to the Sheriff’s Press Release: http://www.marinsheriff.org/uploads/780.pdf
This new tool is only as good as the data provided. It is crucial to report any suspicious activity. As noted in the Press Release, anonymity is honored.
The Sheriff’s phone number for non-emergency communication is (415) 479-2311. For emergencies, always call 911.
Attached are the crime prevention tips that were reviewed at the June 2013 meeting.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Kentfield/Greenbrae Community Meeting Crime Prevention Tips (6/10)
Marin Catholic Sound System Testing Report
Posted on March 30, 2013
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
Attached for your information is a copy of the March 15, 2013 report of the March 2, 2013 testing of the Marin Catholic sound system. This report relates to the sound system currently in place at Marin Catholic and to the school’s application to replace that system.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
March 15, 2013 Marin Catholic Sound System Testing Report
Central Marin Police Authority Note Regarding Burglaries
Posted on March 30, 2013
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
Attached for your information is a copy of the March 28, 2013 Notice from the Central Marin Police Authority relating to the recent rise in burglaries in Marin. Please take a minute to review these reminders to help keep our community safe from crime.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
March 28, 2013 Notice from the Central Marin Police Authority
March 25, 2013 Landscaping Tour
Posted on March 16, 2013
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
As a follow up to the January 22, 2013 Community Forum regarding landscaping of the islands, medians, and parks in Greenbrae, please review the attached announcement from the County of Marin regarding the median pruning it intends to undertake for the median at Via Cheparro and Altura. This meeting will take place on March 25, 2013 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. The GPOA encourages residents to attend this meeting to review the County’s proposed demonstration pruning for this median, and to learn more about the County’s pruning plans for this and many other medians throughout Greenbrae.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
March 25, 2013 Landscaping Tour
Notice of Administrative Decision Approving Marin Catholic Stadium Project
Posted on March 1, 2013
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
Attached for your information is a copy of the February 21, 2013 Notice of the County of Marin’s Administrative Decision approving the Marin Catholic Stadium Project.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
February 21, 2013 Notice of Administrative Decision
Greenbrae Interchange / Highway 101 Improvement Project
Posted on February 17, 2013
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
Attached for your information is a copy of a February 14, 2013 letter from the Kentfield Planning Advisory Board relating to the Greenbrae Interchange / Highway 101 Improvement Project.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Kentfield Planning Advisory Board February 14, 2013 Letter re Greenbrae Interchange
College of Marin Project
Posted on January 28, 2013
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
Attached is a copy of the January 15, 2013 letter from the Kentfield Planning Advisory Board relating to the College of Marin project.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
January 15 2013 KPAB Letter Regarding College of Marin
Marin Catholic Stadium Project
Posted on January 28, 2013
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
Attached is a copy of the Public Notice relating to the Marin Catholic Stadium project the GPOA recently received. Please note the February 2, 2013 deadline for submitting comments to County Planner Neal Osborne.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Marin Catholic Stadium Project
Posted on January 16, 2013
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
Attached for your information is a copy of the January 4, 2013 letter from the Marin County Community Development Agency regarding the Marin Catholic High School Stadium Project. The GPOA will be working with Marin Catholic and community residents to conduct the sound testing of the current public address system that is referenced in this letter.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
January 4, 2013 Letter Regarding Marin Catholic Stadium Project
Marin Catholic Public Notice
Cleaning Up After Dogs In Greenbrae School Park
Posted on January 7, 2013
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
I am writing at the request of homeowners who have informed the GPOA of a problem involving failing to clean up after dogs in Greenbrae School Park. This park is a great resource for adults, children, and pets. Please consider this a gentle reminder to do your best to clean up after your dogs to ensure that all of us can use and enjoy the park. Thank you for your anticipated cooperation.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
January 9, 2013 Kentfield Planning Advisory Board Meeting
Posted on January 5, 2031
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
Attached is a copy of the Agenda for the upcoming meeting of the Kentfield Advisory Planning Board on January 9, 2013 at 7:30 in Board Room 108 of the Administration Building of the College of Marin. The Highway 101 / Greenbrae Interchange and the New Academic Center at the College of Marin are on the Agenda. The GPOA urges interested residents to attend this meeting.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Kentfield Planning Advisory Board January 9, 2013 Meeting Agenda
Marin Catholic High School Stadium Project
Posted on January 1, 2013
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
Attached for your information are copies of two letters the GPOA received following the December 12, 2012 Kentfield Planning Advisory Board meeting regarding Marin Catholic High School’s Stadium project. These letters relate to the proposed new sound system. The GPOA will be working with Marin Catholic, the school’s consultant Peter McDonnell, and Greenbrae resident John Holzwarth to conduct the sound system testing referenced in these letters.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
December 19, 2012 Letter Regarding Marin Catholic Sound System
December 17, 2012 Letter from John and Sarah Holzwarth
Availability of Draft Environmental Impact Report for College of Marin’s New Academic Center
Posted on January 1, 2013
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
Attached is a copy of the Notice that the GPOA received relating to the availability of the draft Environmental Impact Report for the New Academic Center at the College of Marin’s Kentfield Campus. Comments on the draft report must be received in writing by 5:00 p.m. on January 31, 2013. The draft report and other information about the project can be obtained at the College of Marin’s website, www.marin.edu.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Notice of Availability of College of Marin Draft Environmental Impact Report
January 29, 2013 Open House and Public Hearing on the Highway 101 / Greenbrae Interchange Project
Posted on January 1, 2013
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
Please review the information below that the GPOA has received relating to the Highway 101 / Greenbrae Interchange project.
The California Department of Transportation and the Transportation Authority of Marin are hosting an open house and public hearing relating to the project on Tuesday, January 29, 2013 at the Redwood High School cafeteria, located at 395 Doherty Drive, Larkspur, CA 94939, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. The GPOA urges residents to attend this event.
Below are a few links that provide information about the project:
Draft Environmental Document: http://www.tam.ca.gov/index.aspx?page=164
Fly-Through Perspective Animation: http://www.youtube.com/embed/RtaEVbK4gXM
Driver’s View Perspective Animation: http://www.youtube.com/embed/z7xK-Ck3-No
If you would like to submit written comments on the Draft Environmental Document, you must do so by February 14, 2013 at 5:00 p.m. You can send your comments by mail to:
Caltrans District 4
Attention: Valerie Shearer, Senior Environmental Planner
Office of Environmental Analysis, MS-8B
P.O. Box 23660
Oakland, Ca 94623-0660
You can also submit comments by email to: [email protected].
If you have questions, you can contact Valerie Shearer at (510) 286-5594, or the Project Manager for the Transportation Authority of Marin, Bill Whitney at (415) 226-0823, or by email to: [email protected].
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
January 22, 2013 Community Forum on Greenbrae Landscaping Improvements
Posted on December 31, 2012
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
The GPOA and the County of Marin invite you to attend a Community Forum relating to the landscaping of the entrances, medians, and parks in Greenbrae on January 22, 2013 from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Bacich School Community Center, 699 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, Kentfield. Attached is a copy of my December 20, 2012 letter to Greenbrae residents regarding the forum. You should receive a copy of this letter in the mail.
The GPOA and the County hope you can attend this event.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
December 12, 2012 Kentfield Planning Advisory Board Meeting
Posted on December 21, 201
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
Attached is a copy of the minutes of the December 12, 2012 meeting of the Kentfield Planning Advisory Board relating to the Marin Catholic Stadium project, which I and GPOA Board member David Sternberg attended.
At the meeting, the KPAB voted to recommend approval of the current, revised application, which does not include installing a new lighting system, with the conditions that: (a) the new sound speaker system comply with the Noise Element of the Countywide Plan, (b) the current sound speaker system is tested to provide baseline information on the sound levels in our community, and (c) the sound levels from the new sound speaker system are tested once it is installed. I will be working with Marin Catholic and members of our community on the testing aspect.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Attachment
December 12, 2012 Kentfield Planning Advisory Board Meeting
Posted on December 13, 2012
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
As a follow up to the Kentfield Planning Advisory Board meeting on December 12, 2012, attached is a copy of the December 4, 2012 letter Marin Catholic High School submitted to the County of Marin regarding the school’s proposed new sound system. Also attached is a copy of the Countywide Plan Noise Regulations.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
December 4, 2012 Letter Re MC Sound System
Countywide Plan Noise Regulations
Marin Catholic High School Stadium Project
Posted on December 8, 2012
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
Attached is a copy of a letter the GPOA recently sent to residents of certain streets in our community that may be particularly interested in the Marin Catholic High School Stadium project.
On December 6, 2012, the GPOA learned that the Kentfield Planning Advisory Board will hold a meeting at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 12, 2012 in Board Room 108 of the Administration Building of the College of Marin, 835 College Avenue, Kentfield, relating to this project. Details of the project are below.
Please note that the current application is for design review of the new bleacher system/grandstand, and the new speaker system only. If the school applies for a design review and use permit relating to the lighting system, the school will file a separate application, which likely will be next year.
The school proposes to construct (1) a new 1,242-seat steel and aluminum bleacher system/grandstand with a maximum height of 41.6 feet at the top of the elevator’s parapet and 30 feet at the top of the guard rail on the highest bleacher level. The bleacher, with a footprint of 9,582 square feet, would replace an existing system which has 1,524 seats. (2) a new 7,025 square foot field house with concession stand underneath the proposed bleacher system and including rest rooms, a weight room, two locker rooms, a training room, and storage and electrical rooms. (3) Access improvements to meet current fire and ADA standards, These include 10 new parking spaces, increasing the stadium parking from 270 to 280 (including two new handicap parking spaces), ramps, and walkway improvements. (4) New speaker system.
The GPOA urges interested residents to attend the KPAB meeting on December 12, 2012 at 7:30.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
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( November 2012 and earlier to be transferred still)
Community Updates:
- FireSafe Marin - Home Hardening evaluation is on! Visit their page marinwildfire.org - Just type in your address to get a report for your home
- Greenbrae Hills NRG (Neighborhood Response Group: NRG Marin, Home hardening, Emergency Response)
- Bon Air Community Spring Fair is Saturday May 18, 11am-2pm. See Marin Historical Society for more details.
December 18, 2023
Greenbrae Housing Developments Update:
There will be another public Larkspur Planning Commission meeting January 9, 2024 dealing with the proposed new housing developments in Greenbrae.
To be notified for future updates, you can add your email to the Larkspur Housing Element list, as well as a number of other City lists, for notifications here: https://cityoflarkspur.org/list.aspx.
Below is a link to the recorded Dec 12 Commission meeting:
Larkspur Planning Commission Meeting December 12, 2023
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkVEI8fF85TqbJvB4etyqqTaGzwHF9SGp
Marin County Update:
Forward Email: The Planning Division is proposing amendments to the Development Code (Title 22) to:
- Align with new State laws;
- Put our Countywide Plan updates into action;
- Implement the 2023 Housing Element Housing Programs; and
- Fix conflicting parts of the Code.
We have created a webpage so the public can see upcoming hearings and download the proposed amendments here:
Development Code Amendments for 2024
For more information, please call Immanuel Bereket, at (415) 473-2755 or send written comments on the Development Code amendments to:
Immanuel Bereket
County of Marin
Community Development Agency
3501 Civic Center Drive, Suite #308
San Rafael, CA 94903
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December 10, 2023
Dear Greenbrae Homeowners,
Please see the attached notice from the Larkspur Planning Commission relating to a meeting on December 12, 2023 at 7 pm. This relates to a proposed zoning change for the property located near the entrance to 101 off Sir Francis Drake Boulevard where there currently are offices. The GPOA urges all residents to educate themselves about this proposed change and to attend the meeting and provide their input for consideration.
Best regards,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
[email protected]
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April 2023 - Notice of Annual Meeting and Landscaping Report
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TONIGHT: Zone 0 - Ground Zero When Protecting Your Home From Embers
February 23, 2021
Dear Neighbors,
At 6PM tonight there is a Webinar from FIRESafe Marin. Details are below for tonight's Webinar and future events.
If you are not already subscribed to FIRESafe Marin emails, you may do so here:
https://www.firesafemarin.org/
Best Regards,
Scott
Scott Sherman
Landscape Chairman, GPOA
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TONIGHT!
Free Webinar. Join us.
Zone 0 is Ground Zero when protecting your home from embers.
Can't join today? Don't fret. A recording will be made available following the event. Visit FIRESafe MARIN Youtube Channel. to find a complete listing of previous webinars, Highlight Reels, and more resources to help you mitigate wildfire danger.
When: Feb 23, 2021 6:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Topic: Zone 0 - Ground Zero When Protecting Your Home From Embers
Join on Facebook live stream or via Zoom here:
https://firesafemarin.zoom.us/j/87382415962
UPCOMING EVENTS
3/12 | 9am | FIRESafe MARIN Board Meeting
3/12 | 11am | Firewise Leaders Meeting
3/30 | 6pm | Webinar: Defensible Space
Update Regarding Sir Francis Drake Blvd Renaming
February 19, 2021
Dear Greenbrae Neighbors,
Please see through this link an update forwarded from the office of Supervisor Katie Rice regarding meetings next week pertaining to the renaming of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard.
You may also subscribe to such email updates from the County of Marin through this link:
https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/CAMARIN/subscriber/new
You have received this email because you are on the Greenbrae Property Owners Association email list. Your neighbors, friends and family members may also subscribe to GPOA emails through this link.
Very Best Wishes,
Your Dedicated, Volunteer GPOA Board of Directors
Upgrade the Drake is full of new information likely of interest to you
February 14, 2021
Dear Neighbor,
Did you know there’s now abundant new information on UpgradetheDrake.com describing the planned landscape improvements and the light pole issues and planned solutions in process?
Thanks to a generous contribution from CSA 17 (Kentfield, Larkspur and Greenbrae), landscape improvements on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard will be done in all the median islands from Greenbrae to College Avenue, not just intermittent medians. This complements the original County plans for wonderful landscape improvements to the Greenbrae entries at Eliseo, La Cuesta and Manor Road. Plus, we’ll have a new fence along the frontage of Corte Morada Park with landscaping in front of and behind the fence and in the SFD frontage east of the Park that’s been empty for quite a while.
In addition, you may have received an email from Supervisor Katie Rice inviting us to a Greenbrae and Kentfield Zoom Town Hall to discuss the lighting concerns and to identify good solutions for both pedestrian and vehicle safety as well as to minimize light intrusion to the yards and homes situated along SFD Boulevard. If not, here is the invite:
Kentfield-Greenbrae Community Zoom
SFD BLVD Lights
Please join me next Thursday, February 18, at 5pm for an update on County’s reassessment of SFD streetlighting. We’ve heard concerns from many of you regarding aesthetic and lighting impacts and the County is currently working to find a long-term solution that maintains the safety goals of the corridor while reducing negative impacts to residential properties.
For an immediate short-term fix, this new streetlighting along the median near the Bon Air Center (as well as in other segments) has been turned off until a long-term lighting solution can be found. Previously installed new lighting at the intersections will remain active for safety reasons.
The County is currently working with a new lighting consultant and will be looking specifically at reducing lighting impacts to nearby residents as well as potential replacement of poles, mast arms and fixture heads. As this work progresses, the community will have an opportunity to give input.
Please visit the project website for more information and to submit any comments or questions. You can also subscribe to receive updates.
See below for zoom information for Thursday, 2/18 at 5pm.
https://zoom.us/j/93777219026?pwd=YWJ6WTJnL1Z2YjAvRG9kMFVVSUNidz09
Meeting ID: 937 7721 9026
Passcode: 156247
Dial by your location
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
Meeting ID: 937 7721 9026
Passcode: 156247
Best,
Scott
Scott Sherman, PhD
Greenbrae Property Owners Association (GPOA)
Landscaping Chairman
Almenar Drive Fire-Mitigation Email
December 9, 2021
Dear Neighbors,
Under the thoughtful guidance of our local Fire Department Fire-Mitigation Experts, soon you will see ground and tree crews working in your ALMENAR DRIVE median island. Their objectives are to:
Reduce Fuel Volume, Wind-Blown Embers, and Improve Plant Vitality (remove all dead grass, plants, shrubs, branches and trees; remove growth less than 3” in diameter; rejuvenate older, woody shrubs so they return greener, after the rains, with less fuel.)
Create Separation Between Vegetation Clusters with more separation on steep slopes (horizontal separation of 2 times the shrub height.) This interrupts lateral and vertical spread, including up into tree canopies.
Protect Oaks and Other Trees by deadwooding and thinning canopies plus raising lower limbs to prevent ‘laddering’ of fire up into their canopies.
This important work was completed recently in many other Greenbrae medians: Via la Paz, Via Navarro, Via la Cumbre, Via Cheparro, and Altura Way.
It is funded by our County Service Area 16 (CSA 16) annual parcel assessment of $150 (the same amount since 1996!) This limited fund is dedicated to landscape maintenance, improvements, and now fire mitigation. The upcoming work is not a one-time activity. It necessarily will be part of ongoing maintenance.
Similarly, you may have noticed flammable species such as pines, junipers, cypress, eucalyptus, and acacias cut down over the past several years in medians across Greenbrae. This supplements ongoing landscape maintenance of hedges, pruning, pulling of French Broom, whipping weeds, removing heavily accumulated leaves and irrigation.
Learn how to further protect your home and our interconnected Greenbrae community on pages 1-2 in the ‘Fall 2020 Greenbrae Landscaping Report,’ on our GPOA web site (https://www.greenbrae.org): https://bit.ly/36iIzE6
Wishing you a Happy and Healthy Holiday Season and 2021,
Scott
Scott Sherman
Landscape Chairman, GPOA
Greenbrae Newsletter September 2020
August 27, 2020
Dear Greenbrae Neighbors,
On behalf of the Board of your Greenbrae Property Owners Association (GPOA), we sincerely hope you are safe and doing well. Through this link, please find a set of materials which you also will receive in the mail in the next couple of weeks. Since some of the content covers fire preparation and other time-sensitive resources, we thought you might appreciate receiving this sooner by email.
Please let us know if there is additional information you’d like to see in the future by email, in our annual mailing and on our web site www.greenbrae.org.
We wish you the very best as the summer winds down and we all adjust to the new realities of our world.
Very Best Wishes,
Your Dedicated, Volunteer GPOA Board of Directors
Greenbrae Fire & Safety Preparedness
June 8, 2020
Dear Greenbrae Neighbors,
We’re all at risk of wildfires in our beautiful, wooded and fully-interconnected landscaped community. Volunteers from GPOA*, NRG*, and CSA16* work closely with our Fire Departments and FIRESafe Marin experts to help ensure our private homes and landscapes are safe(er). Of course, these groups don't maintain your private properties, so these efforts must include homeowners, their gardeners and perhaps tenants. On our community web site at www.greenbrae.org/fire--safety, you’ll find a growing list of curated information and educational resources to help all of us to understand what to do to make our properties and homes, and thereby our neighbors and community, safer. This takes some focused thought and some additional expense, but the payoffs in saved lives and properties are obvious.
If a wildfire starts or moves into our community along with strong seasonal winds, being prepared is best, right? We have provided you with helpful educational materials already on our website, www.greenbrae.org. You also will receive occasional mailings and emails (if not already subscribed, please go here so you can receive timely updates, (www.greenbrae.org/signup)
Please take a look at your home and in your landscaping for items that can and will make a difference in saving your home and those of your neighbors. For example, are your roof and gutters regularly kept clear of leaves and other flammable debris? Are your foundation, soffit, and roof vents protected with 1/16” mesh and/or ‘Vulcan’ or similar vents? is the ‘Zero Zone’ (0-5 feet around your home) free of plants and protected by hardscaping, gravel or other non-flammable material? Do you have bamboo, junipers, pine trees, rosemary, and other highly-flammable plants near your home? Are you at the top of a slope with abundant dried grasses, French broom and other plants? Have your ground cover, shrubs and trees been separated to prevent fire from ‘laddering' up into the canopies and onto roofs of your and your neighbors’ homes?
Guidance on how to address these and other key FireSafe items is provided on our website at www.greenbrae.org/fire--safety . To get professional guidance on how to prepare and maintain your home and landscaping for wildfires you will find links to fire safety professionals at www.firesafemarin.org/contractors and other excellent resources at www.firesafemarin.org, www.firesafemarin.org/preparedness and FireWise USA
Additional Resources for fire preparedness include the following videos:
Yes, we’re all in this together. Work on your property. Coordinate activities and share costs with your neighbors. Participate with your NRG ‘cluster’ and help all of us to make a real difference.
*GPOA: Greenbrae Property Owners Association (to which most homeowners pay voluntary dues 1-2 times a year to fund FIRESafeMarin, our website, annual GPOA Picnics, newsletters, etc.)
*NRG: Central Marin Neighborhood Response Groups www.nrgmarin.org (A grassroots volunteer-driven initiative designed to assist the residents of Central Marin prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters by encouraging a neighbors-helping-neighbors approach and by providing resources, guidance and training and conducting periodic disaster drills.)
*CSA16: County Service Area 16 (to which each home pays taxes, currently $150/year, to fund the maintenance and improvements of our community's landscape medians, community parks on Corte Morada and Corte Los Sombras, and mile-long Sir Francis Drake Boulevard frontage.)
Scott Sherman, PhD
GPOA Landscaping Chairman and Neighbor on North Almenar,
Plus your GPOA Board of Directors
[email protected]
Kentfield/Greenbrae Community Meeting - Moved to November 9
October 31, 2019
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
Please see below and through this link an update from Supervisor Katie Rice.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
------------------------------
Hello Kentfield/Greenbrae Residents,
Given the recent power outages (PSPS) and associated disruptions, we are going to postpone our community meeting to next Saturday, November 9 (instead of this Saturday). The meeting will be in the same location and same time of day: Saturday, November 9 from 10-11:30am at the Kent Middle School Library in Kentfield.
I hope you all fared well these past few days. I will be interested to hear about your experiences.
Call 415-473-7351 or email [email protected] with questions. Kent Middle School is at 800 College Avenue in Kentfield. The library is on your left as you enter from the parking lot.
Hope you can make it.
Katie
Contact Info:
Supervisor Katie Rice
415-473-7825
[email protected]
www.facebook.com/D2KatieRice
District 2 Aides:
Nancy Vernon
415-473-7351
[email protected]
Jen Gauna
415-473-6159
[email protected]
All public meetings and events sponsored or conducted by the County of Marin are held in accessible sites. Requests for accommodations may be made by calling Nancy Vernon at 415-473-7351 or by e-mail at [email protected] at least five business days in advance of the event. Copies of documents are available in alternative formats, upon request.
Greenbrae Homeowners Newsletter
August 15, 2019
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I hope your summer is going well. Here are links to the 2019 Newsletter and Picnic announcement that should be arriving in your mailbox very soon. The Picnic is scheduled for September 7, 2019, from 1-4 p.m. in Greenbrae School Park, 1 Parkside Way. The GPOA encourages all residents to attend the Picnic. We look forward to seeing you!
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Greenbrae Homeowners Picnic - September 7, 2019, 1-4 pm
July 30, 2019
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
I am writing to let you know the GPOA's Annual Picnic will be on Saturday, September 7, 2019 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m, at Greenbrae School Park, 1 Parkside Way in Greenbrae.
Volunteers Holly Welch, Andrew Roth, and Greg Ulin of Zephyr Real Estate have been hard at work making arrangements for what we know will be another fantastic event. There will be live music, kids games with Bacich PE teacher Coach Shafer, and 3 on 3 basketball. El Huarache will have food for sale and Kentfield Invests in Kids will be selling desserts.
Attached is a postcard that the GPOA soon will be sending to all residents announcing the picnic.
The GPOA encourages you to bring your own blanket/chairs and food/drink and come spend the afternoon meeting your neighbors and enjoying the festivities.
We look forward to seeing you on September 7th!
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Notice of Annual Meeting
April 30, 2019
Hello Greenbrae Residents!
I hope 2019 is treating everyone well! I am writing on behalf of the members of the GPOA’s Board of Directors, who, along with me, are Scott Sherman, David Sternberg, John Holzwarth, Ryan Nelson, and Noreen Kimelman. As volunteers, your Board members are donating significant time to our community. If there are any community members that would like to help serve on the GPOA Board, please send an email to [email protected].
The Board invites you to its Annual Meeting, which will be held on Tuesday, April 30, 2019 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. in the Central Marin Police Authority’s Community Meeting Room located at 250 Doherty Drive in Larkspur.
At the April 30, 2019 meeting we will hear from:
- Presentation on traffic engineering and enforcement efforts made to address resident’sconcerns related to speeding in the community (Bob Goralka/Marin County DPW,
- Julian Skinner/Larkspur DPW, CMPA Chief Michael Norton, CHP Captain Robert Mota)
- Update on the SFD rehabilitation project
- Update on NRG activity and fire safety/prevention
The Board encourages residents to complete and return the 2019-2020 Dues Coupon enclosed with this Newsletter. Unlike the mandatory CSA #16 parcel tax all homeowners pay, our GPOA dues are voluntary. Please contribute to the best of your ability, and, to save postage, please bring your voluntary annual dues with you to the Annual Meeting in the enclosed envelope with the remittance card. Your contributions are our only source of
revenue and are much needed to cover the costs of the picnic, accounting and bookkeeping services, insurance, printing and distribution of newsletters, website maintenance, and some landscaping improvements.
The GPOA Board looks forward to seeing you at the Annual Meeting on Tuesday, April 30, 2019, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., at the Central Marin Police Authority Community Meeting Room, which is located at 250 Doherty Drive in Larkspur.
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Vista Grande NRG Meeting April 29, 2019 (7-8 p.m.)
Posted on April 26, 2019
Dear Vista Grande NRG Neighbors:
Cal Fire has announced fire season has started. Let’s get prepared!
We are forming a neighborhood response group (NRG) to prepare for natural disasters as a community. The Greenbrae Hills (north of Sir Francis Drake Blvd from Manor Drive to Via La Cumbre) has been organized into 7 NRGs.
You live in the Vista Grande NRG if you live on:
- Vista Grande
- Corte Patencio
- Corte Almado
- Tioga Lane
- Corte Anita
- Corte Balboa
- Corte Elena
- Los Cerros Drive (Houses #295 and #305, and #300 – #180, and houses on the north side of Los Cerros Drive from Vista Grande to #180)
- Brushwood Lane
Vista Grande NRG Disaster Preparedness and Next Steps Meeting
When: Monday, 4/29, 2019, 7-8 pm
Where: Marin Catholic High School Library, 675 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. 94904
About the meeting:
There are programs and resources we can use now to reduce our communal fire risk and prepare for fire evacuations. But we need folks to know about the NRG program and how we can help each other. Please talk to your neighbors or place the attached doormat flyer at your neighbor’s doormat.
Topics: There are so many different ways, depending on your community’s priorities that NRG Program can help: Some examples
- Preparing for Earthquakes together-No neighbor overlooked
- Preparing for wildfire evacuations- latest evacuation strategies
- Preparing to mitigate fire risks -
- Walkthroughs with Fire Marshal for 6 + homes to advise you on fire risks
- Firewise Program:Greenbrae Hills (all 7 NRGs will apply to be designated a Firewise USA Community) Help community identify communal vegetation fire risks, make a plan to address it, take steps to do so, minimal annual average investment $25/home or in equivalent labor,
- Preparing database of those who can help and who need help
- Inclusion in 6000 household network with radio communication and Central Marin CERT and County CERT
- Opt in to a special needs list so authorities can check on you if needed
Please see the attached doormat flyer. Please share with your neighbors to help with turnout!
Any questions, please email Laurie Rice, Central Main NRG Program Coordinator at [email protected].
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Altura NRG Meeting April 20, 2019
Posted on April 18, 2019
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I am writing to invite you to join your neighbors in Greenbrae’s “Altura NRG” (see below for included households) for one hour on Saturday, April 20 at 11:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m. in the offices of Zephyr Real Estate, 350 Bon Air Shopping Center, Suite 100. You are a member of the Altura NRG if you live on the streets below.
If you cannot make the meeting, the Altura NRG Steering Committee would be very grateful if you would opt-in to their email list to receive future notices. To do so, please send an email to Laurie Rice at [email protected] and include your street name and number with your email.
Altura NRG:
- Altura Way
- Cielo Drive
- Corte Precita
- Corte Baristo
- Paseo Way (street addresses #1 through #176, except #30)
- Corte Lodato
- Via Cheparro
- Los Cerros Drive (street address #3, #5, and #4 through #24)
Attached is an information sheet relating to the April 20th meeting and to becoming an active part of the Altura NRG.
Please RSVP for the April 20th meeting by emailing [email protected].
Very truly yours,
Jack V. Valinoti
GPOA President
Fire Prevention and Safety in Greenbrae
Posted on April 9, 2019
Hi,
After the deadly and massively destructive wildfires the past seasons, all of us are alerted to the importance of being fire-wise and better prepared. But, what can each of us do at our homes and in our community to prevent the same from happening here? The links below are excellent, practical resources to review and adopt. And at our GPOA Annual Meeting on April 30th (see attachment) you can learn and ask questions of Fire Department experts.
In the links below:
- Look at the list of flammable trees (e.g, pines, cypress, cedars, acacias) and flammable plants (e.g., junipers, rosemary, bamboo, dead wood) that ignite most readily and enhance our fire risk. These are the ones best to remove in our gardens and our community medians and parks.
- See the list of less flammable, alternative plants and trees which are better choices when replacing trees or plants, re-designing our gardens, and maintaining them (e.g., ‘ pruning trees’ away from our homes and roofs, eliminating ‘fire ladders’ that connect ground covers to shrubs and then to lower limbs of trees.)
- Learn ways to ‘harden’ our homes to resist ignitions by the primary culprit, embers/fire brands (e.g., with fire resistant roofing, clearing of leaves on roofs, replacing the vents around the base of our homes and in our soffits with tested and approved new vents.)
- Learn why and how to create critical ‘defensible space’ around your home and how, in our community, this also requires coordinating with your immediate neighbors to do this effectively.
To protect our beautiful and cherished community medians and parks, County Service Area 16 (CSA 16) professionals, under the informed and helpful guidance of Fire Department experts, have begun shrub and tree pruning and clearing activities.
Really helpful links:
- Our county’s ‘Firesafe Marin’ guidelines for preparation for homes and communities: http://www.firesafemarin.org/preparedness
- The national FireWise program’s guidelines on preparation. Excellent guidelines and checklist, too: https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/By-topic/Wildfire/Preparing-homes-for-wildfire
- Our Fire Department and County Parks will help us to become a FireWise USA Site: https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/By-topic/Wildfire/Firewise-USA/Become-a-Firewise-USA-site
- Marin County is creating FireWise USA sites faster than any other US county: https://bit.ly/2YG9GDk
- Our County Supervisors recently funded an additional wildland fire crew for fire prevention: https://www.marinij.com/2019/03/27/marin-to-add-wildland-fire-crew-for-fire-prevention/
We hope you will attend our GPOA Annual meeting , Tuesday , April 30th, at 7 pm at the Central Marin Police Community Meeting Room. Fire Department experts will discuss and answer questions on how to manage our garden vegetation and ‘harden’ our homes to resist embers, the main culprit in structural fires.
Best,
Scott
Scott Sherman, GPOA Landscaping Chairman
[email protected]
Navarro Neighborhood Response Group Outreach to Residents
Posted on March 21, 2019
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I am writing to invite you to join your neighbors in Greenbrae’s “Navarro NRG” (see below for included households) for one hour on Monday, March 25th at 7:00 p.m. in the library at Marin Catholic High School. You are a member of the Navarro NRG if you live on the streets below.
If you cannot make the meeting, the Navarro NRG Steering Committee would be very grateful if you would opt-in to their email list to receive future notices. To do so, please send an email to [email protected] and include your street name and number with your email.
Navarro NRG:
- Bretano (street addresses 205 through 270 only)
- Corte Cayuga (all)
- Corte de Sabla (all)
- Corte Fedora (all)
- Corte Gracitas (all)
- Corte Toluca (all)
- Eliseo (street addresses 103 through 398 only)
- Via Barranca (all)
- Via La Paz (street addresses 1 through 99 only)
- Via Lerida (all)
- Via Navarro (all)
Attached is an information sheet relating to the meeting and to becoming an active part of the Navarro NRG.
Please RSVP for the March 25th meeting by emailing [email protected]
Very truly yours,
Jack V. Valinoti
GPOA President
One of Seven “Neighborhood Response Groups” Forming — February 25, 2019 Meeting (6:30-7:30 p.m.)
Posted on February 21, 2019
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I am writing to invite you to join your neighbors in Greenbrae’s newly forming “Navarro NRG” (see below for included households) for one hour on February 25th at 6:30 p.m. in the library at Marin Catholic High School. We are all at risk from earthquakes, mudslides and fires, and official help may not come quickly if the disaster is widespread. This is a chance for us to get organized ahead of the need, and to learn how to help ourselves, our families and our neighbors. We will learn what Marin County and the Cities of Larkspur/Corte Madera are doing about disaster preparedness and planning. We will take the first steps to organizing our NRG – a self-help group to check on neighbors and to guide official relief to those in need following disaster. We will learn how to prepare ourselves to evacuate or shelter in place.
You are a member of the Navarro NRG (one of 7 in Greenbrae) if you live on: Eliseo (#103 – #398), Corte Cayuga (#1 – #90), Corte de Sabla (#5 – #90), Bretano (#205 – #270), Via Barranca (#15 – #299), Via Navarro (#2 – #100), Corte Toluca (#5 – #95), Via La Paz (#1 – #99), Corte Gracitas (#5 – #100), Via Lerida (#101 – #291), or Corte Fedora (#15 – #99).
Please RSVP for the February 25th meeting by emailing Laurie Rice at [email protected]. Specify that you are rsvp’ing for the Feb 25th meeting.
The GPOA has worked with Laurie Rice in forming the other NRG’s for our community. If you are interested in working to help keep the project moving forward, please contact Laurie Rice at [email protected].
Very truly yours,
Jack V. Valinoti
GPOA President
Greenbrae Disaster Neighborhood Response Group Informational Meeting Thursday, November 8, 2018 7-8 pm
Posted on October 31, 2018
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
As was discussed during the GPOA’s October 4, 2018 meeting, the Central Marin Neighborhood Response Group (“NRG”) is being formed in our neighborhood! The Central Marin NRG program has already formed 33 NRGs that cover over 4,500 homes. The Central Marin NRG is holding an informational meeting on Thursday, November 8, 2018, from 7-8 p.m. at the Central Marin Police Authority, 250 Doherty Ave, Larkspur, CA 94939. The GPOA urges all Greenbrae residents to attend this meeting.
The NRG Program helps prepare neighborhoods for 3 scenarios: (1) major earthquake or flood; (2) wildfire evacuation; and (3) fire after a major earthquake. At the meeting you can learn more about:
- how the NRG adds the next level of support to your family’s preparedness for earthquakes and wildfires;
- radio communications-lifeline after a major earthquake;
- educating your neighbors to check gas meters to prevent fire after a major earthquake;
- identifying, mapping, and learning evacuations pathways;
- sharing situational awareness about high risk fire days and sharing evacuation alerts with communication networks; and
- creating defensible or survivable space on parcels at the neighborhood level,
Please attend the meeting and learn more about how neighbors are helping each other across Central Marin.
Please share this email with your Greenbrae neighbors.
The Managers of Larkspur, Corte Madera and the Central Marin Fire Department all endorse this program as integral to the towns’ disaster preparedness plan.
Please direct questions to Laurie Rice, the NRG Coordinator for Corte Madera and Larkspur, at [email protected] and please visit the NRG’s website http://www.nrgmarin.org/
The GPOA looks forward to seeing you at the meeting on November 8, 2018.
Very truly yours,
Jack V. Valinoti
GPOA President
Supervisor Rice’s October 20, 2018 Kentfield/Greenbrae Community Meeting
Posted on October 4, 2018
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I am writing to let you know that Marin County Supervisor Katie Rice will be hosting a Community Meeting on Saturday, October 20, 2018, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., at the Kent Middle School Library in Kentfield. Supervisor Rice will provide updates on key issues of importance to the community and there will be time for questions, comments, and conversation on any topic of interest to those attending. Please see Supervisor Rice’s notice of the meeting. The GPOA urges all residents to attend this meeting.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
September 29, 2018 GPOA Picnic in the Park
Posted on September 17, 2018
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I trust by now you have received notice that, on Saturday, September 29, 2018, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., there will be a Picnic in the Park at Greenbrae School Park, located at 1 Parkside Way. All members of our community are invited!
The GPOA and the volunteers who organized this Picnic in the Park are excited to announce that The Michael LaMacchia Band will be playing, Coach Shafer will be running his infamous kids’ games, and 3 on 3 basketball games will be played. Please bring a chair/blanket and food/drink, and come join the fun! Also, food will be available for purchase from El Huarache Loco.
We encourage you to come to the Picnic in the Park and meet your neighbors while we celebrate our wonderful community. Please contact Holly Welch by email to [email protected] to volunteer to help with the Picnic in the Park. We welcome the help of kids and adults.
The GPOA is pleased to sponsor this Picnic in the Park and extends a well deserved thank you to volunteers Holly Welch, Andrew Roth, and Greg Ulin, and to sponsors Zephyr Real Estate, Jamba Juice, Frame Crafters Gallery, Orange Theory, and AvidGreen Fine Landscaping, Vineyards, and Backyard Farms. The GPOA appreciates all the hard work Holly, Andrew, and Greg, along with the GPOA Board, have put into organizing the Picnic in the Park.
We look forward to seeing you at the Picnic in the Park!
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Notice of Picnic and Annual Meeting
Posted on September 5, 2018
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I hope you had a nice summer.
I’m writing to let you know that, thanks to the volunteer efforts of Holly Welch, Andrew Roth, and Greg Ulin, the GPOA will have a community picnic on September 29, 2018, from 4-7 p.m. in Greenbrae School Park (on Parkside Way just off Eliseo Drive). Please click the link below to view the picnic notice.
GPOA 2018 Picnic
The GPOA also will have its annual meeting on October 4, 2018 from 7-9 p.m. in the Community Meeting Room of the Central Marin Police Authority. Please click the link below to view the newsletter, which includes an agenda for the meeting.
GPOA 2018 Newsletter
Please also click the link below to view the Fall 2018 landscaping report.
GPOA Fall 2018 Landscaping Report
The GPOA looks forward to seeing you at the picnic and meeting.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
On Street Parking
Posted on June 25, 2017
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I am writing to follow up on the post that you may have seen on NextDoor regarding on street parking in our community. The GPOA understands that, in today’s day and age, homeowners have multiple cars and some use their garage as an extra room or for storage space rather than to park their cars. In addition to the post on NextDoor, the GPOA has received complaints about cars being parked on the street repeatedly and/or for long periods of time. We also have received complaints that on street parking creates a safety hazard on some of the narrow streets in our neighborhood, which not only makes it difficult for cars to travel on these streets but also could present problems for emergency vehicles to get to their destination to provide needed services.
The GPOA reminds residents that the CCRs governing all homes in our community require residents to store their personal property–which includes cars–in the interior of buildings, i.e., in the garage. While we understand that times have changed since the CCRs were written, we urge residents to park their cars in their garage or their driveway rather than on the street. Doing so also could serve to protect against crimes of opportunity. We thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Storing Garbage, Green, and Recycling Cans
Posted on June 20, 2017
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
Recently, the GPOA received several complaints about homeowners leaving their garbage, green, and/or recycling cans near the curb for days and longer after they are emptied by the sanitation service. In addition to being unsightly and against the requirement in the CCRs to store personal property “indoors” (i.e., in a garage or behind a gate or a fence) we received reports of car accidents involving garbage cans that have been left out at the curb. The GPOA reminds all homeowners of the CCRs and asks everyone to remove their cans from the curb within a day after collection.
Our wonderful and beautiful community benefits from this requirement in the CCRs. We thank you for your anticipated cooperation.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Marin Catholic Stadium Lights
Posted on May 22, 2017
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I am writing to let you know that, as you may have read in the Marin IJ or on NextDoor, Marin Catholic High School has decided to withdraw its application to install lights at its stadium. Attached is a copy of the May 11, 2017 letter that the GPOA received from the school’s President, Tim Navone, explaining the school’s decision.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
May 11, 2017 Letter from Tim Navone
Marin Catholic Neighborhood Outreach
Posted on April 27, 2017
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I am writing to let you know that the GPOA received the attached letter from Tim Navone, the President of Marin Catholic High School, who asked the GPOA to share this letter with Greenbrae residents. This letter informs residents that Marin Catholic has created a subcommittee to improve neighbor outreach and, as part of that process, Marin Catholic will be communicating with the GPOA about important activities at the school.
Mr. Navone’s letter describes Marin Catholic’s plan to replace certain trees that have become a safety issue for those using the school’s baseball field. Please review this letter, and, if you have any questions or concerns, please email Mr. Navone at [email protected].
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
March 27, 2017 Letter from Tim Navone
GPOA Annual Meeting: Tuesday, April 11, 2017, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Posted on March 31, 2017
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
I am writing to let you know that the GPOA will be holding its Annual Meeting on Tuesday, April 11, 2017, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Central Marin Police Authority’s Community Meeting Room. Attached for your information is a copy of the GPOA’s newsletter and meeting announcement, which is being prepared for mailing to all residents and should arrive in your mailbox shortly. Also attached is a copy of Scott Sherman’s Landscaping Report. Scott’s report also will be mailed to all residents.
The GPOA urges all residents to attend the Annual Meeting to learn more about Measure A, the mail in ballot Greenbrae residents will be receiving on April 3, 2017 that seeks to increase the annual CSA 16 parcel tax from $150 to $300 to provide funds for needed capital improvements to our common landscaping areas. The GPOA hopes to see you at the meeting on April 11, 2017.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
GPOA 2017 Landscaping Report
GPOA 2017 Newsletter and Notice of Annual Meeting
GPOA Meeting Regarding Measure A, March 14, 2017, Bacich Library, 7 p.m.
Posted on March 14, 2017
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I am writing regarding the GPOA’s upcoming meeting concerning Measure A to provide you with the attached Agenda and handouts in advance of the meeting. The GPOA invites all Greenbrae residents to attend the meeting to learn more about Measure A, the April 2017 mail in ballot to determine whether to increase the annual CSA 16 parcel tax from $150 to $300.
Very truly yours,
Jack V. Valinoti
GPOA President
GPOA March 14, 2017 Meeting Agenda and Handouts
GPOA Meeting Next TUESDAY, March 14th, regarding CSA 16 Parcel Tax Increase
Posted on March 14, 2017
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I am writing to clarify that the GPOA’s informational meeting relating to the CSA 16 parcel tax increase will be held on TUESDAY, March 14, 2017, not Wednesday at the Bacich School Library at 7-9 pm. We apologize for the error. Also, attached is a flyer providing additional information relating to Measure A. The GPOA looks forward to seeing you at the meeting on Tuesday, March 14, 2017.
Very truly yours,
Scott Sherman
Chairman, GPOA’s Landscaping Committee
GPOA Meeting Regarding CSA 16 Parcel Tax Increase: March 14, 2017, 7-9 p.m., Bacich School Library
Posted on March 3, 2017
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
The Greenbrae Property Owners Association is hosting a meeting to provide residents with information relating to the parcel tax increase that is subject to a mail-in ballot from Greenbrae residents. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 14, 2017, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., at the Bacich School Community Room. The GPOA invites all Greenbrae residents to attend this meeting to learn about the proposed increase from $150 to $300 in the annual parcel tax that is used to maintain and improve the many and varied landscape areas in Greenbrae.
My November 22, 2016 email below informed Greenbrae residents that the CSA 16 Advisory Board had scheduled a Special Meeting on November 30, 2016, at which the CSA 16 Advisory Board would recommend to the County Board of Supervisors that a mail-in ballot be held to increase the tax. My email also provided a link to financial data and analyses relating to the funds generated by the tax and the historical and projected expenses for maintenance and improvements. That link is below. At the November 30, 2016 meeting, the CSA 16 Advisory Board recommended that the tax be increased from $150 to $300 per year.
In January 2017, the County Board of Supervisors placed a $150 increase of the annual tax on the ballot. The ballots will be mailed on April 2, 2017 and will be due by May 2, 2017. The ballots will be sent to Greenbrae residents who own homes in the area North of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard between Highway 101 and Manor Road. The area of Greenbrae that is subject to the tax is bounded by Via La Cumbre, Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, and Manor Road, and up to but not including Bret Harte Road. The entries to Greenbrae are at Eliseo, La Cuesta Drive, Manor Road, Via La Cumbre (from the North from San Rafael), and Altura Way (from Bret Harte Road). The homes in Greenbrae on the South of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard are not subject to the tax and will not receive mail-in ballots. Attached is a map showing the area of Greenbrae covered by CSA 16.
Representatives from the GPOA, the CSA 16 Advisory Board, and the County of Marin will attend the meeting to provide information and answer questions. The GPOA urges all Greenbrae residents to attend the meeting to learn more about the need to increase the tax, and hopes to see you there on March 14, 2017.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Link to CSA 16 Advisory Board November 30, 2016 Meeting Handout:
http://www.marincounty.org/~/media/files/departments/pk/about-us/agendas-minutes/2016/csa-16/meeting_11_30_16/16_11_30_csa16_specialmtg_handout.pdf?la=en.
CSA 16 Area
Sir Francis Drake Boulevard Rehabilitation Project Environmental Impact Report Scoping Meeting on January 10, 2017
Posted on December 30, 2016
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I’m writing to let you know that, as the next step in the Sir Francis Drake Boulevard Rehabilitation project process, the County of Marin will be preparing an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the project. In connection with the EIR, the County of Marin is soliciting comments on specific issues to be included in the environmental review. The County of Marin encourages public comments on the scope of issues to be evaluated. In addition, the County of Marin will conduct a public scoping meeting on Tuesday, January 10, 2017, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., at the Bacich School Multipurpose Room, which is located at 699 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in Kentfield. The County of Marin invites all interested members of the public to attend this meeting and present verbal or written comments on the scope of issues to be evaluated in the EIR. The Greenbrae Property Owners Association encourages residents of our community to attend this meeting.
The County of Marin also will accept will accept written comments about the scope of the EIR until 4:00 p.m. on January 17, 2017. Comments can be sent by mail to the attention of Rachel Reid, Environmental Planning Manager, at 3501 Civic Center Drive, Suite 308, San Rafael, California, 94903. Comments also can be submitted by email to [email protected]. You can view the full Notice of Preparation by clicking the following link:
http://www.marincounty.org/~/media/files/departments/pw/transportation/proj_sfdb/scoping_nop_notice.pdf?la=en
The County of Marin’s website for the project has additional information about the project and the EIR, including an information sheet on the scoping process and the scoping meeting. You can view the project’s webpage by clicking the following link:
http://www.marincounty.org/depts/pw/divisions/transportation/sir-francis-drake-boulevard-rehabilitation
The Greenbrae Property Owners Association hopes to see you at the January 10, 2017 scoping meeting.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
CSA 16 Parcel Tax Increase
Posted on November 22, 2016
Dear Greenbrae Homeowners,
I am writing about the $150 annual parcel tax we all pay for landscape maintenance and improvements for our parks, Sir Francis Drake Boulevard frontage, and plentiful median islands throughout Greenbrae. The tax has been $150 since 1993. The revenue generated by the tax has funded maintenance and many significant capital improvement projects over the last 20+ years. Yet, many islands and medians have not been improved in over 50 years and maintenance costs continue to rise. The fixed amount of revenue will not be sufficient to complete needed landscape improvements, in addition to maintenance, in the near future unless the tax is increased.
The GPOA, the CSA 16 Advisory Board, and the County of Marin have studied historical and projected expenses for maintaining and improving the landscaping in our community. The CSA 16 Advisory Board has scheduled a Special Meeting for Wednesday, November 30, 2016 at which it will recommend to the County Board of Supervisors that a mail-in ballot vote be held in May 2017 to increase the tax. You can review the Agenda and Handout (with the historical and projected analysis) for the Special Meeting by following the links below. I urge you to do so. The links provide detailed financial information that the CSA 16 Advisory Board and the County prepared and analyzed relating to the tax revenue and upcoming projected expenses, including landscape improvement projects completed in the last 20 years and many projects that remain to be completed across Greenbrae.
In summary, the $150 tax since 1993 has allowed the landscaping in our beautiful community to be maintained and significantly improved over the past 20 years. Those of you who lived in Greenbrae 25 years ago know the significance of the improvements that have been made. The $150 tax is not, however, sufficient to continue with improvements. After reviewing all the information provided in the links below, the CSA 16 Advisory Board and the GPOA Board support an increase of at least $150 per year, which would raise the assessment to $300. This revenue increase will allow capital improvements to continue.
The GPOA is interested in your opinion. Would you support a $150 increase? Are you against any increase? Are you in favor of a smaller increase (say $100) or a higher increase (say $200 or more), which would allow for improvements to be made sooner?
The GPOA would like to hear from you. Please send an email to [email protected] to let your GPOA Board know your opinion or if you would like any additional information.
We look forward to hearing from you and ask you to share this email with all Greenbrae homeowners so we can obtain the input of as many residents as possible. Thank you.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Agenda
http://www.marincountyparks.org/depts/pk/about-us/main/agendasminutes/2016/2016/csa-16/november_2016
Handout
http://www.marincounty.org/~/media/files/departments/pk/about-us/agendas-minutes/2016/csa-16/meeting_11_30_16/16_11_30_csa16_specialmtg_handout.pdf?la=en.
Kentfield Planning Advisory Board Meeting September 14, 2016 — Marin Catholic H.S. Use Permit Application
Posted on September 11, 2016
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I am writing to let you know the Kentfield Planning Advisory Board (KPAB) will be holding a meeting at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 14, 2016, during which the Use Permit Application that Marin Catholic H.S. filed with the County of Marin to install stadium lighting will be discussed. The meeting will take place in Deedy Lounge, Student Center, at the College of Marin. This agenda item will be discussed after other agenda items. During the meeting, KPAB will review additional material Marin Catholic H.S. submitted to the County in response to the County Planner’s incomplete list. This meeting also will provide an opportunity for KPAB and the public to provide comments regarding environmental issues raised by the application. The GPOA urges all interested residents to attend this meeting and hopes to see you there.
Very truly yours,
Jack V. Valinoti
GPOA President
Marin County Parks Discovery Day April 23
Posted on April 12, 2016
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I am writing to let you know that the Marin County Parks Department is having a Discovery Day at Hal Brown Park (in Greenbrae on Bon Air Road) on Saturday, April 23, 2016 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The GPOA encourages residents to join the County for a day of discovery and play where residents can learn about upcoming projects and provide their comments and input about this neighborhood park. There will be a scavenger hunt, nature walks, snacks, refreshments, and, last but not least, Earth Day festivities. Attached is a flyer for the event. The GPOA hopes to see you there on April 23, 2016.
Very truly yours,
Jack V. Valinoti
GPOA President
Marin County Parks Discovery Day April 23
May 7, 2016 Debate Among Candidates for Marin County District 2 Supervisor
Posted on April 17, 2016
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I am writing to let you know that there will be a debate among the three candidates for Marin County District 2 Supervisor on Saturday, May 7, 2016 between 4:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. This debate will take place at the College of Marin’s new Academic Center, Room 225, and is sponsored by Friends of Kentfield, Woodlands Sponsors, and the Ross Property Owners’ Association. The three candidates Katie Rice, Kevin Haroff, and Frank Egger will attend this opportunity for the voters of District 2 to hear from the candidates who are running to represent our community. Although other debates have been held among the 13 candidates running for three different Districts, this debate will focus on our District. Attendees will be invited to submit their questions about our District on topics that affect our community such as high density housing, traffic congestion on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard and the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, and County pensions. The GPOA encourages all Greenbrae residents to attend this debate and looks forward to seeing you there.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Supervisor Rice’s Winter 2016 Newsletter
Posted on April 12, 2016
Dear Greenbrae Residents, Attached for your information is a copy of Supervisor Rice’s Winter 2016 Newsletter. Very truly yours, Jack V. Valinoti GPOA President Supervisor Rice’s Winter 2016 Newsletter
May 7, 2016 Community May Day Celebration
Posted on April 12, 2016
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I am writing to let you know that the Kentfield-Greenbrae Historical Society (KGHS) is having a May Day Community Celebration on Saturday, May 7, 2016 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and to invite you to attend this event, which will take place at Kent Middle School. You may recall that, two years ago, the KGHS organized the Centennial of the Kent School. This event was a tremendous success with over 2,500 community members in attendance. This year, the KGHS is celebrating the entire Kentfield and Greenbrae community with an afternoon of vintage kids’ games, maypole dancing, the Kent Jazz Student Band, historical displays, Kentfield student project, historical tours by the Kent Student History Club, and food trucks. Attached is a poster for the event. The KGHS is thrilled to welcome the following local organizations to its Community Hall:
Kentfield Fire Department
College of Marin
Marin General Hospital
Kent Woodlands Property Owner’s Association
Greenbrae Property Owners Association
Kentfield Schools PTA
Kentfield Schools kik Foundation
Kentfield School District
Kentfield Schools District Safe Routes to School Program
Kentfield Planning Advisory Board
Friends of Corte Madera Creek
Ross Valley Nursery School
Corte Madera Creek Improvement Project (Flood Prevention Project)
Sir Francis Drake Rehabilitation Project (with Supervisor Katie Rice)
Assemblyman Marc Levine
The Marin Independent Journal (with editor Robert Sterling and Opinion Page Editor Brad Breithaupt)
Marin County Library
Rustic Bakery (which will serve donated baked goods)
Peets Coffee Bon Air (which will serve donated coffee)
If you would like to volunteer to help with this event, please use the following link to sign up: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050a4eac238-mayday. The KGHS especially encourages students interested in earning Community Service hours to help with the kids’ games!
The GPOA and the KGHS hope to have strong local participation in this free, community event. Everyone is warmly welcome! For more information about the KGHS, see www.kghs.org.
Very truly yours,
Jack V. Valinoti
GPOA President
May Day 2016 Poster
March 9, 2016 KPAB Meeting Regarding the Sir Francis Drake Rehabilitation Project
Posted on March 5, 2016
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I am writing to let you know that there is a meeting of the Kentfield Planning Advisory Board on March 9, 2016 with Marin County Principal Transportation Planner Dan Dawson to review the proposed possibilities for the Sir Francis Drake Rehabilitation Project. The project affects Sir Francis Drake Boulevard from Highway 101 to the Kentfield/Ross town line, including the portion of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard that passes through our community. This meet is taking place at 7:30 p.m. in the Deedy Lounge, Student Center at the College of Marin.
There also is a community meeting for this project on Tuesday, March 15, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. at Kent Middle School.
The Greenbrae Property Owners Association encourages all Greenbrae residents to attend these meetings.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Marin Catholic Stadium Lights — Kentfield Planning Advisory Board Meeting on January 27, 2016 at 7:30
Posted on January 24, 2016
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I am writing to let you know that Marin Catholic High School has submitted an application to the County of Marin relating to the school’s proposal to add lights to its stadium. In connection with the application, the Kentfield Planning Advisory Board is having a meeting on January 27, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. at the Deedy Lounge, Student Center, of the College of Marin. Deedy Lounge is in the lowest floor of the Student Center, in the corner building nearest the creek and the new science building. You may have to go through the cafeteria and should look for a sign on the door.
According to the agenda for the KPAB meeting, Marin Catholic is requesting approval to allow for installation of a field lighting system at the school’s outdoor football field. The system would be comprised of four 80-foot tall light poles with differing fixture arrays, installed on the 10 yard line at each side of the field. LED lamp fixtures would be affixed to each pole for lighting during evening hours. Proposed poles at the north side of the field (closest to the parking lot) would feature 19 fixtures, 16 at top and three at about 15 feet. The two poles on the field’s south side (in front of the home bleachers) would have 16 fixtures. The poles would consist of in-ground concrete bases and 80-foot tall galvanized steel poles. The fixtures would utilize a Light Structure Green System from Musco Lighting Systems and 50 to 1,500-watt LEDs would be used to provide a 50-foot candle illumination average. The system would feature a “dimmed” setting, which would be used for games that do require full lighting, as well as after completion of games. Additional path lighting is to be installed along pedestrian pathways for illumination of bleachers and paths surrounding the field.
Overall, the system would be used for 514 games and practices annually: Freshman football games on Thursdays at 6 p.m., Junior Varsity football games on Fridays from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., and Varsity football games from 7:00 to 9:30 p.m. The system also would be used for overlapping evening practices, with 110 total football practices and 225 lacrosse and soccer practices proposed. These practices would end at 9:00 p.m. The majority of evening games and practices would be from November through February.
The GPOA encourages all interested residents to attend this meeting on January 27, 2016.
Residents can view the application at: www.marincatholic.org/Page/Stadium-Lights.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
GPOA Meeting on Thursday, December 10 at 7pm at the Bacich School Library
Posted on December 9, 2015
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
Just a reminder about the upcoming GPOA meeting on Thursday, December 10 at 7pm at the Bacich School Library (699 Sir Francis Drake). The County will be presenting the Sir Francis Drake Rehabilitation project and the current alternatives. It’s a good opportunity for you to learn more about the project, discuss, and provide input.
Note that the annual craft fair in the Bacich community center will just be ending at 7pm, so the parking lot will be impacted. Please allow extra time for your arrival and plan accordingly.
Hope to see you Thursday.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
SFD Corridor Project – Meeting with Greenbrae Community
Posted on December 2, 2015
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
As I hope you are aware, the County of Marin has planned a $13 million project to rehabilitate the Sir Francis Drake Boulevard corridor from 101 to the Ross town limits. The specific details of the plans have not been finalized. The County has had two Community Workshops (in May and November), a meeting with community leaders (in July) and has presented various alternatives at a meeting of the Kentfield Planning Advisory Board (in October).
GPOA is hosting a meeting on December 10, 2015, beginning at 7:00 p.m., at the Bacich School Library (699 Sir Frances Drake), for the County to present the project and the current alternatives. The GPOA encourages all residents to attend this meeting to learn more about the project, provide input, and learn how to stay involved.
The GPOA hopes to see you at this meeting on December 10, 2015.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Almenar Median Planting project
Posted on November 7, 2015
Dear Neighbors,
Please see the attached letter and map from Sarah Richards, a Landscape Architect with the County Parks Department, announcing an imminent project to improve sections of landscaping on two median islands along Almenar Drive. This is the result of constructive input from many residents on these blocks as well as significant time and resources provided by the County Parks Department and the GPOA and County Service Area 16 Advisory Boards (comprised of homeowners from across Greenbrae.)
Best,
Scott Sherman
GPOA Landscaping Chairman
CSA 16 Almenar Median Construction Notice letter
November 18, 2015 Sir Francis Drake Corridor Improvement Project Community Workshop
Posted on November 5, 2015
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
The County of Marin is holding a Community Workshop on Wednesday, November 18, 2015 at 7 p.m. at the College of Marin to present initial concepts for addressing traffic flow and safety issues in the Sir Francis Drake Boulevard corridor. The GPOA invites all Greenbrae residents to attend this Community Workshop and hopes to see you there.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Supervisor Rice’s November 7, 2015 Kentfield/Greenbrae Community Meeting
Posted on November 5, 2015
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
Marin County Supervisor Katie Rice is holding a Kentfield/Greenbrae Community Meeting on Saturday, November 7, 2015 from 10-11 a.m. at the Kent Middle School Library. Supervisor Rice will begin the meeting with updates on key issues of importance to our community followed by time for questions and comments. The GPOA invites Greenbrae residents to attend and hopes to see you there.
For your information, attached is Supervisor Rice’s Fall 2015 Newsletter.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
November 12, 2015 Meeting Regarding Marin Catholic’s Lights Project
Posted on November 5, 2015
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I am writing to let you know that Marin Catholic High School is hosting a meeting at 7:00 p.m. on November 12, 2015 at the Bacich Elementary School Community Center during which Marin Catholic will present its lights project to the public prior to submitting an application to the County of Marin. The project involves installing LED lights around the athletic stadium. The GPOA invites all residents to attend this meeting and hopes to see you there.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
October 28, 2015 Kentfield Planning Advisory Board Meeting Regarding the Sir Francis Drake Corridor Rehabilitation Project
Posted on October 12, 2015
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
I am writing to let you know that there will be a presentation of various possibilities for the Sir Francis Drake corridor on October 28, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. This presentation will be part of the Kentfield Planning Advisory Board meeting and will take place at the College of Marin. On behalf of the GPOA, I have attended a community workshop and a community leaders meeting on this project, which will impact our community. The GPOA encourages all residents to attend this meeting to become informed about the project. We hope to see you there on the 28th.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
Bay-Friendly Blog: Wildfire Season Is Here–Are You Prepared?
Posted on August 9, 2015
The following is a posting from the Bay-Friendly Blog. You may find the original posting here.
Defensible space is the area around your home that has been modified to reduce the effects of wildfire. The following actions can help turn your yard into a defensible space:
Cutting annual grasses within 30-100’ of your home.
Pruning all tree branches a minimum of 10 feet off the ground, and at least 10 feet away from roof lines, decks and chimneys.
Breaking up fuel continuity by creating islands of vegetation and removing flammable materials between them.
Removing highly flammable vegetation such as juniper, bamboo, scotch broom and eucalyptus. Not only do these plants create intense fires, they produce embers that can travel long distances and start new spot fires.
Flammable plants should be removed and replaced with fire resistant, drought tolerant plants.
The City of Mill Valley recently constructed a fire resistive/defensible space garden near its public safety building. Here is a plant list from the project:
Agave Attenuata – Fox Tail Agave
Campanula Portenschlagiana – Bellflower
Cercis Occidentalis – Western Redbud
Cistus Salvifolius ‘Prostratus’ – Rock Rose
Correa Reflexa ‘Cape Green’ – Cape Green Fuchsia
Erigeron X Moerheimi – Pink Santa Barbara Daisy
Eschscholzia Californica – California Poppy
Festuca Glauca ‘Elijah Blue’ – Elijah Blue Fescue
Lavandula ‘Provence’ – French Lavender
Limonium Perezii – Sea Lavender
Olea Europaea – European Olive
Mimulus Aurantiacus – Sticky Monkey Flower
Nepeta Faassenii ‘Walkers Low’ – Cat Mint
Penstemon Heterophyllus – Foothill Penstemon
Phormium Tenax ‘Dusky Chief’ – New Zealand Flax ‘Dusky Chief’
Phormium ‘Tiny Tiger’ – Tiny Tiger Flax
Salvia Apiana – White Sage
Thymus Serpyllum – Creeping Thyme
Verbena Bonariensis – Purpletop Vervain
Home Wildfire Protection
In addition to creating a defensible space in your yard around your home, it is also important to evaluate the fire safety of your house itself. An ember from a wildfire can drop into your gutter, under the deck or in a dry potted plant that can start a fire and threaten your house. The following actions can help protect your home:
Make sure your street address is clearly visible from the street.
Install a spark arrester on your chimney to prevent embers from leaving your chimney.
Remove the dead needles and debris from your gutters.
Clear storage and clutter from under your decks and up against your house.
Remove dead or dry potted plants from around your house.
Patio cushions and other storage on a deck or patio pose a threat if an ember was to drop on them.
You can never be 100% safe from the risk of a wildfire, but if you take the actions listed above you will significantly improve the fire safety of your home.
-Scott Barnes, Mill Valley Fire Department
Scott Barnes is the Battalion Chief-Operations of the Mill Valley Fire Department and works to educate the public about fire safety.
June 10, 2015 Kentfield Planning Advisory Board Meeting
Posted on June 9, 2015 by Administrator
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I apologize for the late notice but I am writing to let you know the Kentfield Planning Advisory Board (“KPAB”) is having a meeting on June 10, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. with a group of parents and officials from Marin Catholic High School (“MC”) to discuss MC’s desire to install lights at its football stadium. This is a preliminary meeting to explore MC’s proposal as MC has not filed any application to install lights with the County of Marin. KPAB has asked that I inform Greenbrae residents and invite residents to attend this meeting, which will take place at the Deedy Lounge, Student Center, at the College of Marin. MC representatives have informed me that MC is planning a community outreach program that will give Greenbrae and Kentfield residents multiple opportunities to provide input. The GPOA urges all interested residents to attend this meeting.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
GPOA Annual Meeting May 18, 2015 at 7:00 p.m.
Posted on May 3, 2015
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
I am writing to let you know the GPOA Board has scheduled our Annual Meeting for Monday, May 18, 2015 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Central Marin Police Authority’s Community Meeting Room, which is located at 250 Doherty Avenue in Larkspur. Attached is the Newsletter and Spring 2015 Landscaping Report we have prepared in advance of the meeting. These items have been printed and delivered to the post office. They should be arriving at your homes shortly. The GPOA Board hopes you can make it to the Annual Meeting and looks forward to seeing you there.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
GPOA 2015 Newsletter
GPOA Spring 2015 Landscaping Report
Please Store Your Garbage Pails
Posted on April 19, 2015
Dear Greenbrae Residents,
The GPOA has recently received several comments and/or complaints about neighbors who leave their garbage pails at the curb seven days a week, 24 hours a day. I’m writing to remind residents that our CCRs require homeowners to store their personal property within the interior of their buildings. While the GPOA understand that it may not be practical for all homeowners to store their garbage pails in their garage, leaving your garbage pails at the curb violates the CCRs. The GPOA reminds residents of the requirements of the CCRs and asks that all homeowners store their garbage pails inside the interior of their buildings, behind a fence, or alongside their homes rather than at the curb. Complying with the CCRs enhances the overall beauty of our wonderful neighborhood. Thank you for your anticipated cooperation.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Upcoming Closure of East Sir Francis Drake Boulevard — March 26-28, 2015
Posted on March 10, 2015
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
The City of Larkspur has notified the GPOA of the upcoming closure of East Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in the late evening and early morning hours on March 26-28, 2015. Please see the attached closure notification and detour map the GPOA received from the City for further information.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
Closure Notification- Final
Detour Map
Bon Air Center Refresh Project Meeting December 1, 2014 at 7:00 p.m.
Posted on November 20, 2014
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
I am writing to let you know Crome Architecture, a local architecture and planning firm that has been working with Greenbrae Management, Inc., contacted the GPOA regarding plans to improve and enhance the common areas of the Bon Air Center. The owners of the Bon Air Center understand and appreciate the fact that the surrounding community takes a special interest in the Bon Air Center. The owners are proud to announce a proposed Refresh Project to improve the public areas of Bon Air Center.
The Bon Air Center Refresh Project Team would like to invite all interested community members to a meeting at which the project will be presented in an informal manner that will allow plenty of time for questions and answers. The meeting will not be the official City of Larkspur public hearing on the project. That hearing will be held sometime next year during the Design Review hearing before the City of Larkspur Planning Commission.
This informal meeting will be held in the Community Meeting room at Drake’s Landing, adjacent to Jason’s Restaurant, which is located at 300 Drake’s Landing Road, on Monday, December 1, 2014 at 7:00 p.m.
Crome Architecture and the owners of the Bon Air Center look forward to meeting with the community and presenting this exciting project, which is designed to greatly enhance the Bon Air Center experience for all of its customers.
The GPOA encourages all Greenbrae residents to attend this meeting.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Voluntary Dues
Posted on November 10, 2014
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
The GPOA reminds residents we do not have mandatory dues; our dues are voluntary. We endeavor to mail out dues cards two times per year to encourage residents to contribute as and when they can. The GPOA has received comments from residents after we send out our second voluntary dues card of the year. These comments ask the GPOA to “please check its records” or inform the GPOA a resident has “already paid” their dues. Please note we send the second dues cards to all residents regardless of whether a contribution has already been received from that resident for a particular year. We thank all residents who make a voluntary contribution to the GPOA.
Thank you again for your support of the GPOA.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
PG&E Gas Lines
Posted on November 6, 2014
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
I am writing to let you know that PG&E recently repaired a leak in a gas line in our neighborhood (on Vista Grande) and PG&E representatives have asked the GPOA to provide the information below to our residents.
PG&E customers can schedule a free appliance safety inspection if they have any concerns about gas line leaks. The number to call is (800) 743-5000. When prompted, press “4″ and, when prompted again, say “Service Request,” and, when prompted again, say “Appointment.”
Some of the appliances that PG&E inspects are furnaces, water heaters, ovens, ranges, hot tubs, pool heaters, clothes dryers, and gas fireplaces.
If residents smell gas, they should immediately move away from the area and call 911, or call PG&E at (800) 743-5000.
For additional safety tips and information about PG&E, please visit www.pge.com/safety.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Kentfield/Greenbrae Community Meeting – Saturday, November 8, 2014 (10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.)
Posted on October 22, 2014
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
Marin County Supervisor Katie Rice is holding a meeting on Saturday, November 8, 2014 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Bacich Community Center to provide residents with updates on transportation/congestion relief efforts and the County of Marin’s draft housing element. Please see the attached PDF, which the GPOA received from Supervisor Rice. The GPOA urges all residents to attend this event.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
November 8, 2014 Community Meeting
Mosquito Control
Posted on September 13, 2014
Dear Neighbor,
The message below pertains to residents in the northwest sector of Greenbrae. The Marin/Sonoma Mosquito and Vector Control District is working hard to locate and eliminate sources of mosquitos and needs permission from homeowners to inspect for these sources. They are working hard and quite intelligently to identify large and small water sources where the mosquitos are breeding. I’ve highlighted in red below a key item in the email received this morning from the District.
Thanks for your help with this important issue.
Best,
Scott
Scott Sherman, GPOA Landscaping Chairman
www.greenbrae.org
Greenbrae Property Owners’ Association (GPOA)
P.O. Box 383
Kentfield, California 94904
Click Below to Sign Up and Receive Occasional, Important Notices about issues in our community at:
http://greenbrae.org/mailman/listinfo/greenbrae_homeowners_greenbrae.org
From: Erik Hawk
Date: Friday, September 12, 2014 at 11:06 AM
To: Scott Sherman
Cc: John Walker
Subject: Mosquito Control
Hello Mr. Sherman,
I have been informed of a mosquito production and control issue that currently exists in Kentfield, in the North Almenar Drive area. We have found some swimming pools lacking proper maintenance and producing mosquitoes and have taken care of them. However, our adult mosquito traps continue to collect an abundance of several species of mosquitoes within the community. The mosquito species collected can cause substantial irritation and two of them are capable of transmitting West Nile virus. Our Vector Control Technician working in the area, Chris Mohrman, has left informational brochures on the front doors of several homes requesting that the homeowners contact him so he can perform mosquito surveillance in backyards, hopefully find the sources of water and larval mosquito production, and perform mosquito control if necessary. Unfortunately, we have received very few responses from the homeowners. It is imperative that we are able to perform proper mosquito surveillance and locate the sources of mosquito production in a timely manner. The mosquito species we are finding can fly a considerable distance from the water source(s) and transmit disease to surrounding communities. The District’s intent in gaining access to properties within the community is to control mosquito populations, minimize discomfort to the residents, and reduce the potential for transmission of a pathogen such as West Nile virus. Our intent is not to create an inconvenience or any other issues for the residents.
We understand that you are a leader in the Home Owners Association for the aforementioned area. If you could please distribute this e-mail to the homeowners/residents in the HOA and ask them to please call Marin/Sonoma Mosquito and Vector Control District – Vector Control Technician Chris Mohrman at 707-974-1204 to discuss mosquito control on their properties and allow for a brief mosquito inspection it would be of significant assistance.
Thank you in advance for your assistance and attention to this matter. If you or the members of the HOA have any questions please have a look at our website at www.msmosquito.com , contact Chris Mohrman at 707-974-1204, or Marin County Field Supervisor John Walker at 707-974-2236.
Sincerely,
Erik
Erik Hawk
Assistant Manager
Marin/Sonoma Mosquito and Vector Control District
595 Helman Lane
Cotati, CA. 94931
707-285-2200
www.msmosquito.com
Save the Hoops Has Succeeded
Posted on August 31, 2014
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
I am pleased to report the tireless efforts of Deirdre Evershed and her family to “Save the Hoops” in Greenbrae School Park have paid off. The Evershed’s persistence and fund raising, coupled with the work of Mary Grace Houlihan of the City of Larkspur’s Department of Public Works, will be on display at the upcoming Annual GPOA BBQ on Sunday, September 7, 2014. I hope all of you will attend the BBQ and get to see the newly restored basketball court and hoops at the park.
In the meantime, please be aware parts of the park will be under construction on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, September 1, 2, and 3, 2014 as the City completes the work on the basketball court and hoops. I trust our community can live with this short period of inconvenience.
Thanks again to the Evershed family for spearheading this effort to Save the Hoops. Very well done!
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Annual Greenbrae Property Owners Association BBQ (September 7, 2014)
Posted on August 13, 2014
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
The Annual Greenbrae Property Owners Association BBQ is coming up soon.
Please mark your calendars: Sunday, September 7, 2014, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Come and meet your new neighbors, or visit with neighbors you haven’t seen in awhile.
There will be games, music, food, and fun!
Greenbrae School Park on Parkview Circle (off Eliseo)
More details to follow as we get closer!
We are looking forward to seeing you all there!
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Proposed development plan for the Larkspur Landing area
Posted on May 18, 2014
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
The City of Larkspur is encouraging the public to review the proposed development plan for the Larkspur Landing area, which is known as the Smart Area Plan, and to submit comments by the deadline of Monday, June 2, 2014 at 5:00 p.m. Comments may be emailed to: [email protected] or may be mailed to Neil Toft, Director of Planning and Building, City of Larkspur, 400 Magnolia Avenue, Larkspur, CA 94939.
In addition to the City of Larkspur’s website, http://www.ci.larkspur.ca.us/, Greenbrae residents can find additional information on the Smart Area Plan at the following website: http://www.larkspurfightsback.com
The Larkspur City Council and Planning Commission are holding one joint public meeting before the June 2, 2014 comment deadline. The joint meeting is on Thursday, May 22, 2014, at 6:30 p.m. at the Hall Middle School Gymnasium, which is located at 200 Doherty Drive in Larkspur.
The GPOA encourages all residents to attend the May 22, 2014 meeting and to express their comments on the Smart Area Plan by the June 2, 2014 deadline.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Community Meeting Announcement and Newsletter
Posted on April 20, 2014
Hello GPOA Neighbors,
Please see the attached Kentfield/Greenbrae community meeting announcement for next Saturday, 4-26 from 10-11:30am at the Bacich Community Meeting. The focus of the meeting will be discussion of development and planning issues in Ross Valley. The email includes a link to Supervisor Rice’s Spring newsletter that addresses issues of concern in the community.
Thank You,
Ron Peluso
GPOA Board Member
Attachment
March 3, 2014 Community Meeting
Posted on March 28, 2014
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
On March 3, 2014, the Greenbrae Property Owners Association hosted a Community Meeting at the Central Marin Police Authority’s station house. Approximately fifteen members of law enforcement, including CMPA Chief Todd Cusimano, Marin County Sheriff Robert Doyle, California Highway Patrol Captain Shon Harris, along with Marin County Supervisor Katie Rice and Larkspur City Councilmembers Catherine May and Kevin Harloff attended this meeting. Approximately 80 residents also attended. The GPOA thanks everyone who organized, presented at, and attended this meeting, which lasted for over two hours. The following summary captures some of the issues that were discussed:
Crime levels in Greenbrae in 2013 were below the average of the last ten years.
Many of the robberies in the area result in arrests. The CMPA is going to work to communicate the results of investigations so people better understand the whole issue.
The recent armed robbery in Greenbrae is under investigation. There is a good lead on the case and the criminals may already be in custody for another crime. The crime was not random; it appears that the criminals did not rob their intended victims.
Solutions such as private security patrols, dedicated Sheriff’s deputies, security cameras, and license plate readers were discussed.
Please send an email to [email protected] if you are interested in devoting your time to working on improving neighborhood security by joining the working group of concerned homeowners the GPOA has organized.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
March 3, 2014 Community Meeting with the Central Marin Police Authority and the Marin County Sheriff’s Office
Posted on February 15, 2014
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
The Greenbrae Property Owners Association invites you to a community meeting that is being hosted by the Central Marin Police Authority and the Marin County Sheriff’s Department to discuss crime in Greenbrae. The meeting will be held on Monday, March 3, 2014 from 7-9 p.m. at the Central Marin Police Authority Community Conference Room.
The GPOA also is interested in your opinions and has developed an anonymous survey. Please take the survey included in this email so the GPOA can assess the views of our residents relating to security issues. Please click on the link below and take the brief survey.
The GPOA looks forward to seeing you on March 3, 2014.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Notice: Community Meeting
Re: Crime in Greenbrae
Date: Monday, March 3, 2014
Time: 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Place: Central Marin Police Authority Community Conference Room
Address: 250 Doherty Dr, Larkspur, CA 94939
No RSVP needed, please arrive promptly.
To take the survey, click here:
http://kwiksurveys.com/s.asp?sid=0mplpewkdzrgex4301159
Letter from Supervisor Rice Regarding License Plate Readers
Posted on December 8, 2013
Dear Greenbrae Homeowners:
Attached for your information is a copy of a letter the GPOA received from Supervisor Katie Rice following up on the topic of license plate readers that was discussed at the September 2013 meeting Supervisor Rice conducted for our community.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Attachment
September 11, 2013 Kentfield/Greenbrae Community Meeting
Posted on August 26, 201
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
Marin County Supervisor has scheduled a community meeting for September 11, 2013 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Bacich School Library.
Supervisor Rice will be joined by representatives of the Marin County Sheriff’s Department and the Central Marin Police Authority and will provide an update on crime and crime prevention in our area as well as provide an update on the Highway 101 / Greenbrae Interchange Improvement Project and other relevant projects.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Marin Catholic High School Hotline for Noise Complaints/Concerns
Posted on August 11, 2013
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
Marin Catholic High School has established a hotline to register noise complaints/concerns. The phone number is (415) 295-2180. If you do register a complaint/concern, please also send an email to “[email protected]” and copy the school’s President Tim Navone at “[email protected].” Doing so will help the school and the GPOA keep track of the complaints/concerns.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Marin County Sheriff’s Office Crime Reporting System
Posted on August 9, 2013
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
Following the June 2013 meeting Marin County Supervisor Katie Rice had with residents of Greenbrae and Kentfield, Supervisor Rice explored establishing an on-line system for providing local crime data to better inform concerned residents about incidents in our neighborhoods. Recently, the Marin County Sheriff’s office established such a tool. Here is a link to the Sheriff’s Press Release: http://www.marinsheriff.org/uploads/780.pdf
This new tool is only as good as the data provided. It is crucial to report any suspicious activity. As noted in the Press Release, anonymity is honored.
The Sheriff’s phone number for non-emergency communication is (415) 479-2311. For emergencies, always call 911.
Attached are the crime prevention tips that were reviewed at the June 2013 meeting.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Kentfield/Greenbrae Community Meeting Crime Prevention Tips (6/10)
Marin Catholic Sound System Testing Report
Posted on March 30, 2013
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
Attached for your information is a copy of the March 15, 2013 report of the March 2, 2013 testing of the Marin Catholic sound system. This report relates to the sound system currently in place at Marin Catholic and to the school’s application to replace that system.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
March 15, 2013 Marin Catholic Sound System Testing Report
Central Marin Police Authority Note Regarding Burglaries
Posted on March 30, 2013
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
Attached for your information is a copy of the March 28, 2013 Notice from the Central Marin Police Authority relating to the recent rise in burglaries in Marin. Please take a minute to review these reminders to help keep our community safe from crime.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
March 28, 2013 Notice from the Central Marin Police Authority
March 25, 2013 Landscaping Tour
Posted on March 16, 2013
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
As a follow up to the January 22, 2013 Community Forum regarding landscaping of the islands, medians, and parks in Greenbrae, please review the attached announcement from the County of Marin regarding the median pruning it intends to undertake for the median at Via Cheparro and Altura. This meeting will take place on March 25, 2013 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. The GPOA encourages residents to attend this meeting to review the County’s proposed demonstration pruning for this median, and to learn more about the County’s pruning plans for this and many other medians throughout Greenbrae.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
March 25, 2013 Landscaping Tour
Notice of Administrative Decision Approving Marin Catholic Stadium Project
Posted on March 1, 2013
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
Attached for your information is a copy of the February 21, 2013 Notice of the County of Marin’s Administrative Decision approving the Marin Catholic Stadium Project.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
February 21, 2013 Notice of Administrative Decision
Greenbrae Interchange / Highway 101 Improvement Project
Posted on February 17, 2013
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
Attached for your information is a copy of a February 14, 2013 letter from the Kentfield Planning Advisory Board relating to the Greenbrae Interchange / Highway 101 Improvement Project.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Kentfield Planning Advisory Board February 14, 2013 Letter re Greenbrae Interchange
College of Marin Project
Posted on January 28, 2013
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
Attached is a copy of the January 15, 2013 letter from the Kentfield Planning Advisory Board relating to the College of Marin project.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
January 15 2013 KPAB Letter Regarding College of Marin
Marin Catholic Stadium Project
Posted on January 28, 2013
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
Attached is a copy of the Public Notice relating to the Marin Catholic Stadium project the GPOA recently received. Please note the February 2, 2013 deadline for submitting comments to County Planner Neal Osborne.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Marin Catholic Stadium Project
Posted on January 16, 2013
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
Attached for your information is a copy of the January 4, 2013 letter from the Marin County Community Development Agency regarding the Marin Catholic High School Stadium Project. The GPOA will be working with Marin Catholic and community residents to conduct the sound testing of the current public address system that is referenced in this letter.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
January 4, 2013 Letter Regarding Marin Catholic Stadium Project
Marin Catholic Public Notice
Cleaning Up After Dogs In Greenbrae School Park
Posted on January 7, 2013
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
I am writing at the request of homeowners who have informed the GPOA of a problem involving failing to clean up after dogs in Greenbrae School Park. This park is a great resource for adults, children, and pets. Please consider this a gentle reminder to do your best to clean up after your dogs to ensure that all of us can use and enjoy the park. Thank you for your anticipated cooperation.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
January 9, 2013 Kentfield Planning Advisory Board Meeting
Posted on January 5, 2031
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
Attached is a copy of the Agenda for the upcoming meeting of the Kentfield Advisory Planning Board on January 9, 2013 at 7:30 in Board Room 108 of the Administration Building of the College of Marin. The Highway 101 / Greenbrae Interchange and the New Academic Center at the College of Marin are on the Agenda. The GPOA urges interested residents to attend this meeting.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Kentfield Planning Advisory Board January 9, 2013 Meeting Agenda
Marin Catholic High School Stadium Project
Posted on January 1, 2013
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
Attached for your information are copies of two letters the GPOA received following the December 12, 2012 Kentfield Planning Advisory Board meeting regarding Marin Catholic High School’s Stadium project. These letters relate to the proposed new sound system. The GPOA will be working with Marin Catholic, the school’s consultant Peter McDonnell, and Greenbrae resident John Holzwarth to conduct the sound system testing referenced in these letters.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
December 19, 2012 Letter Regarding Marin Catholic Sound System
December 17, 2012 Letter from John and Sarah Holzwarth
Availability of Draft Environmental Impact Report for College of Marin’s New Academic Center
Posted on January 1, 2013
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
Attached is a copy of the Notice that the GPOA received relating to the availability of the draft Environmental Impact Report for the New Academic Center at the College of Marin’s Kentfield Campus. Comments on the draft report must be received in writing by 5:00 p.m. on January 31, 2013. The draft report and other information about the project can be obtained at the College of Marin’s website, www.marin.edu.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Notice of Availability of College of Marin Draft Environmental Impact Report
January 29, 2013 Open House and Public Hearing on the Highway 101 / Greenbrae Interchange Project
Posted on January 1, 2013
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
Please review the information below that the GPOA has received relating to the Highway 101 / Greenbrae Interchange project.
The California Department of Transportation and the Transportation Authority of Marin are hosting an open house and public hearing relating to the project on Tuesday, January 29, 2013 at the Redwood High School cafeteria, located at 395 Doherty Drive, Larkspur, CA 94939, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. The GPOA urges residents to attend this event.
Below are a few links that provide information about the project:
Draft Environmental Document: http://www.tam.ca.gov/index.aspx?page=164
Fly-Through Perspective Animation: http://www.youtube.com/embed/RtaEVbK4gXM
Driver’s View Perspective Animation: http://www.youtube.com/embed/z7xK-Ck3-No
If you would like to submit written comments on the Draft Environmental Document, you must do so by February 14, 2013 at 5:00 p.m. You can send your comments by mail to:
Caltrans District 4
Attention: Valerie Shearer, Senior Environmental Planner
Office of Environmental Analysis, MS-8B
P.O. Box 23660
Oakland, Ca 94623-0660
You can also submit comments by email to: [email protected].
If you have questions, you can contact Valerie Shearer at (510) 286-5594, or the Project Manager for the Transportation Authority of Marin, Bill Whitney at (415) 226-0823, or by email to: [email protected].
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
January 22, 2013 Community Forum on Greenbrae Landscaping Improvements
Posted on December 31, 2012
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
The GPOA and the County of Marin invite you to attend a Community Forum relating to the landscaping of the entrances, medians, and parks in Greenbrae on January 22, 2013 from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Bacich School Community Center, 699 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, Kentfield. Attached is a copy of my December 20, 2012 letter to Greenbrae residents regarding the forum. You should receive a copy of this letter in the mail.
The GPOA and the County hope you can attend this event.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
December 12, 2012 Kentfield Planning Advisory Board Meeting
Posted on December 21, 201
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
Attached is a copy of the minutes of the December 12, 2012 meeting of the Kentfield Planning Advisory Board relating to the Marin Catholic Stadium project, which I and GPOA Board member David Sternberg attended.
At the meeting, the KPAB voted to recommend approval of the current, revised application, which does not include installing a new lighting system, with the conditions that: (a) the new sound speaker system comply with the Noise Element of the Countywide Plan, (b) the current sound speaker system is tested to provide baseline information on the sound levels in our community, and (c) the sound levels from the new sound speaker system are tested once it is installed. I will be working with Marin Catholic and members of our community on the testing aspect.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
Attachment
December 12, 2012 Kentfield Planning Advisory Board Meeting
Posted on December 13, 2012
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
As a follow up to the Kentfield Planning Advisory Board meeting on December 12, 2012, attached is a copy of the December 4, 2012 letter Marin Catholic High School submitted to the County of Marin regarding the school’s proposed new sound system. Also attached is a copy of the Countywide Plan Noise Regulations.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
December 4, 2012 Letter Re MC Sound System
Countywide Plan Noise Regulations
Marin Catholic High School Stadium Project
Posted on December 8, 2012
Dear Greenbrae Residents:
Attached is a copy of a letter the GPOA recently sent to residents of certain streets in our community that may be particularly interested in the Marin Catholic High School Stadium project.
On December 6, 2012, the GPOA learned that the Kentfield Planning Advisory Board will hold a meeting at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 12, 2012 in Board Room 108 of the Administration Building of the College of Marin, 835 College Avenue, Kentfield, relating to this project. Details of the project are below.
Please note that the current application is for design review of the new bleacher system/grandstand, and the new speaker system only. If the school applies for a design review and use permit relating to the lighting system, the school will file a separate application, which likely will be next year.
The school proposes to construct (1) a new 1,242-seat steel and aluminum bleacher system/grandstand with a maximum height of 41.6 feet at the top of the elevator’s parapet and 30 feet at the top of the guard rail on the highest bleacher level. The bleacher, with a footprint of 9,582 square feet, would replace an existing system which has 1,524 seats. (2) a new 7,025 square foot field house with concession stand underneath the proposed bleacher system and including rest rooms, a weight room, two locker rooms, a training room, and storage and electrical rooms. (3) Access improvements to meet current fire and ADA standards, These include 10 new parking spaces, increasing the stadium parking from 270 to 280 (including two new handicap parking spaces), ramps, and walkway improvements. (4) New speaker system.
The GPOA urges interested residents to attend the KPAB meeting on December 12, 2012 at 7:30.
Very truly yours,
Jack Valinoti
GPOA President
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( November 2012 and earlier to be transferred still)
