Marinwood Association

Reminder: We are hosting a candidates forum tomorrow, Monday May 3rd at 7:30pm, between the two candidates for Marin County Supervisor in District one. Both candidates, Susan Adams and Kerry Mazzoni, have agreed to participate. The forum will be moderated by the League of Women Voters and will be held at the Marinwood Community Center.

On Wednesday, September 30th the Marinwood Association convened to discuss future plans.

Present:
Walter Dods, President
Bruce Anderson, Vice President
Denise Castellucci, new Boardmember
Kel Harris, Safe Routes to Schools

Walter opened the meeting stressing the importance of letting residents know that the planned October 14th meeting with a Grady Ranch presentation by Lucas Film has been canceled and needs to be rescheduled before the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays. It is important that in regards to the Grady Ranch plans that the community has a forum to voice their concerns. Marin county recently asked Lucas to spend an additional 400k and is impacting their time table to speak with the community.

James “Jamie” Shaw, a member of the community who lives on Cedarberry is running against the incumbents of the Las Gallinas Sanitary District. While the Association does not endorse any candidates, we wanted to acknowledge that one of our own is participating in local government. People are encouraged to contact Jamie with questions at jameshshaw@sbcglobal.net.

Bruce brought up a need for a permanent sign that is a closed letter board to post information on meetings and events. The board could be shared by the CSD as well and can be an alternative to the sandwich boards. We are going to research the cost of such a sign and see if the CSD can contribute.

Denise asked about the size of the Membership list and found that there is about 400 people on the list. Walter pointed out the need for us to acknowledge each membership contribution with a thank you with contact information of the board and website address. This membership list needs to be made available. Speaking of website address, we need to have a sign that moves around the community promoting the website: marinwoodassociation.org.

Bruce introduced the topic of a Spring Fundraiser which would be a Garden & Art Tour with 5 gardens and 5 artists. Bruce offered his garden as one of the five. He knows of several artists as well who may want to participate. The date for this event is to be determined.

Another event to coordinate will be Spring Community Day which would be scheduled either before or after the Dixie District Spring Break. Possible dates would be the weekend of April 3rd, or the weekend of April 24th. Spring Community Day would enable local organizations to have a table to do outreach to the community. Organizations like the Lions Club, CERT, Sheriff’s office, Marinwood CSD, DYSO, Little League, Marinwood Fire, Watershed Stewards, Boy and Girl Scouts, Rotary Club, Safe Routes to Schools, Marin Bike Coalition, Waterdevils, Waldorf, Marin Day School, Marin Formative, Oakview School, Marinwood and San Rafael Mothers Clubs, and any other non-profits that serve the community.

The October 14th Association meeting could have a presentation from the Marin Energy Authority to explain to residents what they are doing and discussion Community Choice Aggregation. We are still trying to get a representative to come.

In past years, the Association has hosted Dumpster Day, where residents can take their large greens, wood boards, old furniture and dump it in a large dumpster. Given the state of our financial resources we may need help paying for the dumpster. We could contact someone who can also recycle electronics and computer parts. Kel brought up Dumpster Day could be combined with the Spring Community Day, where you can bring your dumpster fodder, grab a glass of wine and learn about the resources of our community.

The last Sunday afternoon-evening of the Month there is a Sunday Supper Jam at the Howard Council Community Center or the Marinwood Community Center.

The next CSD Meeting will be October 13th.

Kel Harris notified us that the sidewalk on Huckleberry now has access to the multiuse path on Lucas Valley.

First, I would like to thank everybody who came out to our Annual Marinwood Association meeting on September 9th, and especially those who paid their annual dues or became members for the first time. This is one of the things that makes Marinwood such a special place to live… our neighbors. The level of civic participation and care for the community exhibited by Marinwood residents never fails to impress.

I also want to quickly mention that the debate planned for the upcoming CSD Board election has been cancelled. Eugene Elliot has decided not to run, and that leaves just two candidates for the two open seats. You an read a bit more over at the Independent Journal.

We had a great meeting with a number of interesting topics. Our newest director, Denise Castellucci has an updated play-by-play report of the meeting available on the Marinwood Association Facebook page.

If you have not yet paid your annual dues, or you would like to become a member of the Marinwood Association, you can do so here: Join the Marinwood Association

The Marinwood Association’s Progress Marinwood program is scheduled for September 9, 2009 at 7:30 at the Marinwood Community Center. You will have the opportunity to hear from our County Supervisor about the county’s response plans for the H1N1 flu virus that is expected to strike this fall. In addition, Supervisor Adams will bring us up to date on other activities within Marin County District one.

You have probably noticed new “striping” on Miller Creek Avenue allowing for a bike lane? One person who put in a lot of time and effort to get that lane is Kel Harris. Kel will tell us about those new lanes on Miller Creek and Las Gallinas along with some other future plans to make safer routes in Marinwood and along Lucas Valley Road. Kel will also talk about the very successful if unsightly (think orange cones) traffic calming that occurred earlier this year.

For you creek lovers, Rachael Kammen will tell us about the Miller Creek Watershed Stewards and the efforts to preserve and protect Miller Creek.

There is much more. This is a wonderful chance to learn about your community.

This is a free information meeting provided by the Marinwood Association. For over 30 years the Marinwood Association has been your local non-profit community organization. We are not a homeowners association; we are an association of home dwellers and local businesses here in greater Lucas Valley. If you live or work or have an interest in Marinwood you are considered a member. The Association is mainly supported by voluntary annual dues of $10 per membership. Only current paid-up members may vote in elections. You may pay your dues at the meeting. There is no charge for this meeting.

We hope to see you at the meeting.

The Marinwood Association invites you to a general meeting of the community, Progress Marinwood. The meeting is scheduled for September 9, 2009 at 7:30pm at the Marinwood Community Center.

Progress Marinwood is an evening to inform you of a number of community topics. We will have an election of officers of the Marinwood Association after some opening remarks by Association President Walter Dods and a treasurer’s report by Association Treasurer Geoff Mack.

Supervisor Susan Adams will bring us up to date on the county budget and other items affecting Marin County District one. Kel Harris, chair of the Marinwood Safer-routes committee, will make a presentation regarding the progress his committee is making towards creating safer streets in Marinwood. One of our neighbors in the “Berries”, Jennifer Brooke will discuss the steps taken by the “Neighberries” to deter crime. Tom Horne, the Marinwood CSD District Manager, will inform us our local CSD financial status. Geoff Mack will give a short introduction to the Lucas Films project at Grady Ranch. This is a prelude to a community meeting scheduled for October 14, 2009 where Lucas Films has agreed to present the Grady Ranch project and take questions and comments from our entire community.

We will receive an update regarding the Marinwood Plaza. Bruce Anderson, Marinwood Association Vice President and a Marinwood CSD Director will discuss the effort underway at the CSD to review and possibly increase the powers granted to it.

Finally there will be an opportunity to meet the three candidates for the two open positions on the Marinwood CSD Board of Directors. The candidates, Bruce Anderson, Gene Elliot and Leah Green will introduce themselves and be available for a couple of questions. This is not a debate just an introduction of the candidates.

Please plan to attend Progress Marinwood. It is an excellent opportunity to learn about your community.

You can help increase awareness of the meeting by printing and distributing this flyer to your neighbors.
general-meeting-2009-flyer

We have new momentum in our quest to create a shopping village on the old Marinwood Plaza property.

With a goal of February 2009, the Marinwood Village Collaborative (Members listed below) will build on the results of the successful community planning process to finalize a detailed development plan and engineering study for the site along with pedestrian, bicycle and transit studies. One caveat - The contamination from previous dry cleaners may be more extensive then previously thought.

(more…)

What is in this Edition of the Marinwood Association Newsletter:

• Miller Creek Watershed Stewards Meeting
• New Blog / Newsletter
• Marinwood Village Update
  
• Donations

Miller Creek Watershed Stewards Meeting

The Marinwood Association has chosen to sponsor an important new community organization called the Miller Creek Watershed Stewards. The MCWS have set about an ambitious agenda for our community to protect and preserve the quality of the watershed in our little valley, from Big Rock to the Bay. They are having their first public meeting on October 11 and they need you and your family.

Stop by. Have a cookie. And learn about the MCWS and what you can do to make a difference in the quality of our little valley for generations to come.

Thursday, October 11th, 7:00-8:30pm
Dixie Elementary School (Multi-Purpose Room)
1175 Idyllberry Road

You can download the flyer here. Feel free to make a few copies and help distribute the flyer. Get the word out!

New Blog / Newsletter

In addition to the continuing work with the Marinwood Village, Safe Routes to Schools, and all of the other important work we do, we have been working hard to bring the latest and greatest information-age tools to the Marinwood Association Newsletters. Here are some of the new features:

• All Newsletter postings are now hosted on our blog, here. Be sure to bookmark it!
• You are now subscribed to receive e-mail updates whenever a new entry is made to the blog.
• You can have access to additional features by registering. This will allow you to add comments to the blog, select which of the types of blog entries you are interested in, and more. Just go to the blog and click the link that says “subscribe.”

I hope you enjoy the improvements. If you have any comments, please “subscribe” and leave them in the comments section of the blog.

Marinwood Village Update

It has been quite some time since we have provided an update regarding the Marinwood Village. In this case no news is good news. We are still hard at work with the county and the developer. Stay tuned. We will be in touch when there is news to report.

Donations

It is that time of year again. If you haven’t done so already, please make a donation to the Marinwood Association. Suggested donation amount is just $10 per family per year, but we will gladly accept whatever amount you can afford to pay.

Make check payable to: Marinwood Association

Send check to:

Treasurer, Marinwood Association
c/o Geoffrey Mack
2742 Heatherstone Drive
San Rafael, CA 94903

June 2006 – Update

Marinwood Plaza à Marinwood Village

July will be BIG! Monday, July 10th is the date of the first community meeting to review the concept for the new village center at Marinwood Plaza. The meeting starts at 7:30 at the community center. We will have the opportunity to review each aspect of the proposed development first at individual stations specifically addressing an issue such as housing, retail, community space, green building, and transportation. Next will be a presentation followed by questions and answers. Follow-on meetings are scheduled to incorporate the feedback provided by the community. The owner and county are working with the community to create a wonderful enhancement to our community. This meeting is an opportunity to learn and make sure your hopes for the Plaza are incorporated. You can review the concept to be presented by visiting our WIKI and you can discuss it on our forum. Frank Nelson has it all at Frank’s Blog. Let your friends and neighbors know about this important development. Follow-up meetings are scheduled for July 17 and July 24 same time same place.

“Wiki”

A new feature has been added to our Web site www.marinwoodassociation.org. Instigated by Ward Bouwman, we have developed a “Wiki”. It is meant to be a dynamic representation of our community. It will become what we make it. Try it out and give us feed back at the Wiki forum

Dues, donations and ads

Please be sure to visit our advertisers. Check it out at www.marinwoodassociation.org Your 2006 dues ($10) are now due or make a donation to the Marinwood Association (Any amount – we received a $500 donation this past year). You can make a direct donation or buy one of the cute Marinwood thingies located here or place an ad on our web site. The money is being used to finance a number projects within Marinwood. Did you know the community was responsible for contributing almost $6,000 to the Marinwood Village Project? Your funds in action! But we need more. We had to dip into reserves to make our commitment and are seeking to not only replace the amount we paid the county but also finance the other worthwhile activities such as creating safer routes to our schools and protecting Miller Creek.

Comments – Email - Join Association - Attend Meeting

We are making it easy for you to give us feedback on the various activities underway. Under some items above is a line of clickable text. Just click on “comments” to go to our online forums and post your note. Click on “Email” to send us an email. Click on “Join Association” to find out how to pay your annual dues of just $10. Click on “Attend Meeting” to find out what meetings are scheduled.

“The views expressed in this newsletter are those of the author and may or may not reflect official positions established by the Board of Directors of the Marinwood Association.

Tear off and mail with your check

To: Marinwood Association

c/o Geoffrey Mack
2742 Heatherstone Drive
San Rafael, CA 94903

From: ___________________________

Email address ______________________

Street Address______________________

______________________

Phone number ______________________

Dues $10 For all the many representations and planning efforts provided and to support our community’s efforts at self improvement I/we hereby submit payment of our 2006 Marinwood Association membership dues in the amount of $10.

Donation $__________Marinwood Association is a non-profit organization.

February 2006 – Update

Marinwood Plaza  Marinwood Village

Frank Nelson has it all at Frank’s Blog. The markets we are courting and the progress on the development of the “Specific Plan” are presented in a newsletter format and allows for discussion and your input. A very lively discussion is currently underway about the upcoming tour of our community by the owners of Mill Valley Markets. Let your friends and neighbors know about this important development.

“Wiki”

A new feature has been added to our Web site www.marinwoodassociation.org. Instigated by Ward Bouwman, we have developed a “Wiki”. No! not some disease. It is an emerging communication tool. Very simple at this stage it will become much more through your and other members of the community’s efforts. Currently it contains information about the development of safer routes to our schools and our open space trails. You can get into it by clicking on that word Wiki above.

Storm Damage

We have been declared a federal disaster area. If you suffered storm related damages to your home or business in Marin we have a message for you from Supervisor Susan Adams.
“I attended a workshop today outlining how homeowners and businesses can access FEMA funds. It will be important that anyone who believes they were adversely affected with their businesses or homes apply for the funds, especially if insurance will not cover the total cost. Grants are available as well as low interest 30 year 2.68% interest loans. The number to call is 1-800-621-FEMA. The final day to call and file is 60 days from Feb 3, 2006”

The recent storms and the damage they created revealed vulnerability in our neighborhood. We don’t have enough members of our community trained to effectively respond to emergencies that affect the entire community. There is a program promoted within the county called CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) that could mitigate that vulnerability. Our Fire Chief, Tom Roach, will be leading efforts in the near future to develop teams in our community. It is important that you attend a CERT training and become a member of a response team. No one wants to feel helpless when an emergency strikes. We must all be prepared.

A SENSE OF PLACE
a new show of watercolors and oils by PATRICK GAVIN DUFFY. February 1-28, 2006 The Depot Café and Bookstore 87 Throckmorton Avenue,Mill Valley, CA

The artist, who lives on Millstone in Marinwood, may be contacted at: www.marinwoodstation.com or 415-286-6571.

“New Moon Over Mt. Tam” © 2005 Patrick Gavin Duffy

Dues, donations and ads

Please be sure to visit our first advertiser. Check it out at www.marinwoodassociation.org It is not too early to pay your 2006 dues ($10) or make a donation to the Marinwood Association (Any amount – we received a $500 donation this past year). You can make a direct donation or buy one of the cute Marinwood thingies located here or place an ad on our web site. The money is being used to finance a number projects within Marinwood. Did you know the community was responsible for contributing almost $6,000 to the Marinwood Village Project? Your funds in action! But we need more. We had to dip into reserves to make our commitment and are seeking to not only replace the amount we paid the county but also finance the other worthwhile activities such as creating safer routes to our schools and protecting Miller Creek.

Comments – Email - Join Association - Attend Meeting
We are making it easy for you to give us feedback on the various activities underway. Under some items above is a line of clickable text. Just click on “comments” to go to our online forums and post your note. Click on “Email” to send us an email. Click on “Join Association” to find out how to pay your annual dues of just $10. Click on “Attend Meeting” to find out what meetings are scheduled.

“The views expressed in this newsletter are those of the author and may or may not reflect official positions established by the Board of Directors of the Marinwood Association.

Tear off and mail with your check

To: Marinwood Association
c/o Geoffrey Mack
2742 Heatherstone Drive
San Rafael, CA 94903

From: ___________________________

Email address ______________________

Street Address______________________

______________________

Phone number ______________________

Dues $10 For all the many representations and planning efforts provided and to support our community’s efforts at self improvement I/we hereby submit payment of our 2006 Marinwood Association membership dues in the amount of $10.

Donation $__________Marinwood Association is a non-profit organization.

January 2006 – Update

BELL Market is closing January 12 at 6:00 PM.

No more rumors, it is true. Frank Nelson has the latest and you can discuss it at Frank’s Blog

Annual Meeting and Election of Officers – January 25, 7:00 PM

The annual meeting of the Marinwood Association and the election of officers will be held January 25 at the Marinwood Community center. Association members who have paid their 2006 dues are allowed to vote. You may use the form below to mail in your $10 dues or they can be paid at the annual meeting to allow you to vote.

This next year a number of activities begun in 2005 will begin to show results. At the annual meeting an update of the status of the Village Center will be provided. In addition the exciting new steps underway to create safer routes to our schools will be presented.

Of course we still need funds - Dues, donations and ads

Please be sure to visit our first advertiser. Check it out at www.marinwoodassociation.org It is not too early to pay your 2006 dues ($10) or make a donation to the Marinwood Association (Any amount – we received a $500 donation this past year). You can make a direct donation or buy one of the cute Marinwood thingies located here or place an ad on our web site. The money is being used to finance a number projects within Marinwood. Did you know the community was responsible for contributing almost $6,000 to the Marinwood Village Project? Your funds in action! But we need more. We had to dip into reserves to make our commitment and are seeking to not only replace the amount we paid the county but also finance the other worthwhile activities such as creating safer routes to our schools and protecting Miller Creek.

Comments – Email - Join Association - Attend Meeting
We are making it easy for you to give us feedback on the various activities underway. Under some items above is a line of clickable text. Just click on “comments” to go to our online forums and post your note. Click on “Email” to send us an email. Click on “Join Association” to find out how to pay your annual dues of just $10. Click on “Attend Meeting” to find out what meetings are scheduled.

“The views expressed in this newsletter are those of the author and may or may not reflect official positions established by the Board of Directors of the Marinwood Association.

Tear off and mail with your check

To: Marinwood Association
c/o Geoffrey Mack
2742 Heatherstone Drive
San Rafael, CA 94903

From: ___________________________

Email address ______________________

Street Address______________________

______________________

Phone number ______________________

Dues $10 For all the many representations and planning efforts provided and to support our community’s efforts at self improvement I/we hereby submit payment of our 2006 Marinwood Association membership dues in the amount of $10.

Donation $__________Marinwood Association is a non-profit organization.