Sidewalk Widening; Bus Stop Enhancement; Leaf Blowers; Dog Waste; Overnight Parking: San Anselmo News

SAN ANSELMO, CA — In the following weekly newsletter dated Sept. 9, 2016, San Anselmo Town Manager Debra Stutsman discusses sidewalk-widening and bus stop enhancement project, the Town's leaf blower ordinance, dog waste and overnight parking.

Upcoming Project in Ross and San Anselmo

The Towns of Ross and San Anselmo are pleased to announce an upcoming federally-funded project to widen the sidewalk on Bolinas Avenue between Shady Lane and Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, and to enhance the bus stops on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard at Bolinas Avenue.

The project consists of installing 10 new curb ramps, widening sidewalks, traffic signal improvements, and paving Sir Francis Drake Boulevard from 225 feet south of Winship Avenue to 230 feet north of the Bolinas Avenue intersection, as well as the Bolinas Avenue/San Anselmo Avenue intersection.

The concrete work will take about four weeks starting Sept. 6. The work will take place during normal work hours (8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays), with work that requires traffic control limited to 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The final paving work is tentatively scheduled for the week of Oct. 3. The exact dates and times of paving work will be advertised a couple of weeks in advance.

The contractor will provide a pedestrian path-of-travel through the work site during construction. The bus stops will be temporarily relocated a short distance way. Marin Transit will post information about the relocated stops in advance of the work.

The Towns would like to thank you for your patience while we undertake this important project. If you have any questions, please contact the project manager Scott Schneider, at 415-258-4653 or sschneider@townofsananselmo.org.

Special Reminders

Of all the articles that appear in the newsletter, there are three that I am requested to repeat over and over again. I bet you can guess that they are about leaf blowers, dog waste and overnight parking. Here they are!!

Leaf Blower Ordinance

San Anselmo has an ordinance that restricts the operation of motorized leaf blowers in the town to the hours of 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays for periods not to exceed 30 minutes at a time per property.

The ordinance applies to anyone who operates a motorized leaf blower in town. This includes property owners, their employees, tenants and landscape contractors.

The leaf blower ordinance was enacted to prevent continuous and unreasonable disruption of households caused by the operation of motorized leaf blowers. In adopting the ordinance, the Town sought to balance environmental and life quality issues with the need for property owners to maintain their properties.

The leaf blower ordinance was the result of six months of public discussion and a six-month trial period before it was finally adopted in April of 1994.

Dog Waste

Summer is almost over! With lovely fall weather just about here, we’d like to remind dog owners about a San Anselmo ordinance about dogs.

Persons walking dogs in San Anselmo are required to clean up after their pets. This means that if your dog defecates on any public property, or private property that isn’t yours, you are responsible to dispose of it in a sanitary manner. A number of residents have commented on the fact that some dog owners leave used waste bags just sitting on the sidewalk. Others note that bags are deposited in individual residents’ private cans, leaving a smelly mess.

When walking your dog, please carry along a plastic bag for cleanup, and dispose of the bag in a public trash can or when you get home.

The benefits of this ordinance are great for our whole community. Parks, sidewalks, front lawns, and gutters can be waste free and all residents can walk without worry.

Everybody has to do his or her part, however, to keep San Anselmo dog waste free. Avoid a fine and carry a plastic bag on walks with canine friends. Together we can make San Anselmo a model of cooperation.

Overnight Parking

The San Anselmo Municipal Code prohibits overnight parking on the Town’s streets and roadways. The rule is that no person may park a vehicle on any street for a period of time longer than 30 minutes between the hours of 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. of any day.

The overnight parking ordinance was enacted with considerable resident input to protect our citizens, as well as to maintain the aesthetics of the community. Many of our streets are very narrow and winding, and were not intended for current levels of traffic. The ordinance allows traffic to flow smoothly and helps to ensure clearance for emergency vehicles, such as fire engines, paramedics and police vehicles.

Another benefit of the overnight parking ordinance is crime prevention. Cars that do not belong in a particular area become more visible to our officers on patrol. This has netted the Police Department arrests of criminals who otherwise might have gone unnoticed parked amongst other vehicles.

Lastly, the overnight parking ordinance enhances the aesthetics of our community by keeping the streets uncluttered, helping to maintain home values and enhancing the quality of life for all those who live and traverse our Town.

If you have a friend or relative visiting for a week, or have a hardship situation, you can request a parking permit or exemption through the Central Marin Police Authority at our downtown station, 525 San Anselmo Avenue. For more information, go to http://ca-marinpolice.civicplus.com/153/Forms.

Image via Pixabay