Community Foundation, You Tube, Education Foundation & City

Article Source: San Bruno CA Community Foundation

I am pleased to share with you the latest news from the San Bruno Community Foundation:

Today the Foundation and YouTube are announcing an initiative, in collaboration with the City of San Bruno and the San Bruno Park School District, to improve pedestrian safety in San Bruno. Using $263,952 in grant funding ($137,952 from SBCF and $126,000 from YouTube), the City will install rectangular rapid flashing beacons at crosswalks near two San Bruno public schools and in San Bruno's downtown area.

This morning we had a groundbreaking at the site of the first flashing beacon installation at the crosswalk in front of Portola Elementary School. Please see the attached photo, which includes, from left, SBCF Executive Director Leslie Hatamiya, SBPSD Superintendent Stella Kemp, YouTube Director of Real Estate & Workplace Services Drew Sherwood, San Bruno Mayor Jim Ruane, City of San Bruno Director of Public Services Jimmy Tan, SBCF Board Member Patricia Bohm, San Bruno City Manager Connie Jackson, and two Portola students.

Please see the attached press release, which is also pasted below.

Please contact me with any questions. I'd be happy to speak with you. If you'd like to speak to a representative from YouTube, please email press@google.com and ask to speak with Drew Sherwood.

Sincerely,
Leslie

Leslie HatamiyaExecutive Director
San Bruno Community Foundation
lhatamiya-sbcf@sanbruno.ca.gov
Office (650) 763-0775
Mobile (650) 922-1223
www.sbcf.org

SAN BRUNO COMMUNITY FOUNDATION AND YOUTUBE LAUNCH INITIATIVE SUPPORTING PEDESTRIAN SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS IN SAN BRUNO

Grants Totaling $263,952 Fund Installation of Flashing Beacons at School Sites and Downtown Locations


San Bruno, California, November 28, 2017 – The San Bruno Community Foundation and YouTube today announced an initiative – in collaboration with the City of San Bruno and the San Bruno Park School District – to improve pedestrian safety in San Bruno. Using grant funding totaling $263,952 from the Foundation and YouTube, the City will install rectangular rapid flashing beacons at crosswalks near two San Bruno public schools and in San Bruno’s downtown area. YouTube is providing $126,000 to this initiative, while the Foundation is contributing $137,952 of its own funds to the effort.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held this morning at the crosswalk in front of Portola Elementary School at 300 Amador Avenue in San Bruno – the location of the first flashing beacon installation – to celebrate the beginning of the Pedestrian Safety Initiative. San Bruno Mayor Jim Ruane, Foundation Board Member Patricia Bohm, Foundation Executive Director Leslie Hatamiya, YouTube Director of Real Estate & Workplace Services Drew Sherwood, San Bruno Park School District Superintendent Stella M. Kemp, San Bruno City Manager Connie Jackson, City of San Bruno Director of Public Services Jimmy Tan, and several Portola students attended the groundbreaking (see attached photograph).

“The Pedestrian Safety Initiative for San Bruno originated with the Foundation, in conversation with the City, and we are so grateful to YouTube for partnering with us on this endeavor to benefit the San Bruno community,” said Foundation President Nancy Kraus. “Moreover, by using restitution funds resulting from the devastating gas pipeline explosion San Bruno experienced seven years ago, the Foundation’s investment in pedestrian safety recognizes the Foundation’s origins and the tremendous value the people of San Bruno place on community safety.”

"Safe walkable streets are an essential component of a connected and vibrant community,” said YouTube’s Sherwood. “YouTube is thrilled to partner with San Bruno and the San Bruno Community Foundation to help improve the pedestrian experience – especially near our local schools.”

The City will soon begin installation of flashing beacons at the crosswalk on Amador Avenue near the entrance to Portola Elementary School, with the installation of flashing beacons at two crosswalks on Niles Avenue in front of Parkside Intermediate School – one at Cedar Avenue and another at Redwood Avenue to follow shortly thereafter. The City identified the need for crosswalk improvements near the two schools, which experience both high automobile traffic and foot traffic during school drop-off and pick-up times, in consultation with SBPSD officials. Most of Parkside’s 816 students enter and depart from the school on Niles Avenue, often crossing the street at the two unsignalized crosswalks at Cedar Avenue and Redwood Avenue, while the steep grade on Amador Avenue makes it difficult for drivers to see children and parents as they walk to and from Portola. At both locations, the flashing beacons are expected to improve pedestrian conditions by warning drivers of people using the heavily used crosswalks.

“The safety and welfare of our students are a top priority for the San Bruno Park School District. Partnering on safety for San Bruno children is a meaningful example of how fortunate the San Bruno Park School District is to have such strong support for students from YouTube, the San Bruno Community Foundation, and the City of San Bruno,” said Superintendent Kemp.

As part of the initiative, the City will also use grant funds from the Foundation and YouTube to install flashing beacons at the unsignalized midblock crossing on the south end of San Mateo Avenue between El Camino Real and Cypress Court. This crosswalk enhancement will be installed as part of the City’s sewer and water replacement project along San Mateo Avenue, which is scheduled to begin in January 2018 and conclude about six months later. The flashing beacon installation will take place at the end of the project, after all underground and street resurfacing work is completed. The City is in the process of identifying at least one more high-traffic downtown crosswalk location where flashing beacons funded by Foundation and YouTube grant funds would greatly improve pedestrian safety.

These improvements boost the community’s enthusiasm and support for enhancing public safety in San Bruno, as reflected in the Foundation’s 2015 Community Listening Campaign and in the San Bruno Walk ‘n Bike Plan, which the San Bruno City Council adopted in July 2016. They also follow YouTube’s installation of flashing beacons on Cherry Avenue at Grundy Lane this past summer. These flashing beacons, which the company fully funded and vetted through the City’s Traffic Safety and Parking Committee, warn drivers on busy Cherry Avenue of office workers and other pedestrians crossing the street between YouTube buildings.

“As reflected in the City’s Walk ‘n Bike Plan, promoting the walkability of San Bruno has a myriad of community benefits in terms of the environment, neighborhood livability, and the health of our residents,” said Mayor Ruane. “With support from the San Bruno Community Foundation and YouTube, the Pedestrian Safety Initiative significantly contributes to our efforts to make walking to school and visiting our downtown a safer and easier experience for community members.”

The San Bruno Community Foundation is the nonprofit organization created by the City of San Bruno to administer the $70 million in restitution funds received from PG&E after the devastating 2010 gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno’s Crestmoor neighborhood. The Foundation serves the San Bruno community by investing in projects, programs, services, and facilities that have significant and lasting benefits. Through making grants, leveraging partnerships, and taking advantage of other resources, the SBCF assists and enables the community to maximize shared investments and realize their subsequent enhancements and benefits.
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Robert Riechel

E=Mail: SanBrunoPatch.Robert@Yahoo.com

WEB: http://SanBrunoPatch.com

My Posts: http://patch.com/users/robert-riechel

Photo Credit: San Bruno CA Patch Archives

Source Credit: San Bruno CA Community Foundation

Leslie Hatamiya - Executive Director

lhatamiya-sbcf@sanbruno.ca.gov

Office (650) 763-0775

Web Site: www.sbcf.org

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