December 2009 Pilot

THE PILOT

Volume39Number12RedwoodShoresCommunityAssociationDecember2009

DECEMBER EVENTS

Light Up The Shores

Community JudgingThursday Evening,December 17thfrom 7:00pm to 9

Santa Comes To The Shores

1:00pm, Sunday,December 20th

AT SANDPIPER

Membership Reminder and a Goose Update

By Doug Crisman, RSCA President

It’s Time to Join RSCABy now you have received RSCA’smembership letter for 2010 and a spe-cial memento commemorating RSCA’s40th Anniversary. As mentioned in our letter, we take pride in having dedicatedourselves for the past 40 years to mak-ing the Shores an even better place to live. Please help us continue todo so by lending your support. At $35.00, membership in RSCA is agreat deal – please join us by sending in your payment with the cardincluded with our letter.Goose UpdateMany of us in the Shores enjoy living close to wildlife, including our diverse population of resident and migratory birds. However, RSCAand the Pilot have received many letters and comments expressingconcern about the problems caused by our resident population of Canada Geese. We may have too much of a good thing when it comesto these big birds. Their droppings seem to be everywhere (parks,sidewalks and swimming pools), and they saunter across our roadways as if they own the place. They are also a risk to aviation, asthey can collide with and damage airplanes.In addition to being unappealing, droppings of Canada Geese are a potential health hazard as they are host to dangerous microbes. For example, recent studies have found Escherichia coli, Listeria andCampylobacter bacteria strains in geese feces.1This means that our children when playing in our parks are exposed to the risk of illnessshould they come into contact with the goose droppings that blanketthe area.As an organization that works to preserve the high quality of life inRedwood Shores, we decided to investigate this problem. It turns outthat there are a variety of ways in which other communities haveattempted to fix their goose problem. Some have engaged dogs toharass the geese in the hope that they would move away (this wasactually tried in Redwood Shores a few years ago); others haveaddled eggs so they would not hatch. Neither of these solutions is

(Continued on page 13)

From RSCA

Happy Holidays from the Rein-dogs

Page 2

REDWOOD SHORESCOMMUNITY ASSOCIATION

270 Redwood Shores Parkway, PMB #205Redwood Shores, CA 94065 - 1173

redwoodshoresca.org

2009 Board

PRESIDENTDoug Crisman.....................................djcrisman@aol.comVICE PRESIDENTHarris Rogers..............................harris.rogers@comcast.netSECRETARYJim Cvengros..........................................cvensr@aol.comTREASURERLynn Adams......................................randladams@aol.com

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Michael Whatmore......................jmwhatmore@comcast.net

BOARD MEMBERS

The Board of Directors meets promptly at 6:30 PM,the third Thursday of each month atThe Redwood Shores Library

DEADLINES DEADLINES!!!The deadline for the January Issue of the

Pilot

is December 16th to the 23rd

THE PILOT

531 Shoal Circle, Redwood City, CA 94065CPmert@comcast.netEditor, Carol Mertens............................................595-1595Advertising, Carol Mertens..................................595-1595Circulation, Carol Mertens....................................595-1595Shores Press..........................................................593-2802Design & Review Board Inquiries:Doug Crismandjcrisman@aol.comCarol Fordcarol_ford@sbcglobal.netSue Nixsmn3333@gmail.comFor CC&R Copies, Carol Ford - carol_ford@sbcglobal.net

THE PILOT

is a monthly publication of theRedwood Shores Community Association (RSCA).Circulation: 6,000 Redwood Shores Households & BusinessesThe opinions published in the

Pilot

are those of the authors andnot the expressions of RSCA unless so officially designated.Lynn AdamsMichelle Atno-HallNina BoireDoug CrismanJim CvengrosPat DixonMerrill EmerickCarol FordCelli FrostPete HughesMark JamisonDon LongCarol MertensSue NixTheresa PinedaHarris RogersRobert SchmidtClemencia RodriquezMichael WhatmoreBonnie Wolf Andrew YoungStop SignPage 3Update From New School CommitteePage 4News From Sandpiper SchoolPage 8New Businesses in RWCPage 12RSCA Anniversary, ApplicationPage 14RSCA Looking For BOD’s? Page 15Planting Winter ColorsPage 15What’s New in RWC, GID EndsPage 18Why Does My Dog Do That?Page 20Library Events, Interpretative CenterPage 22Live Music At Nob Hill CenterPage 22On My SoapboxPage 23Holiday SeasonPage 24Therapist’s CornerPage 25Preventing ColdsPage 26Tax TipsPage 27Food, WinePage 28December Senior Activities, StudentsPage 29

Table of Contents

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www.aelawllp.com

Page 3

We Need A Stop Sign On Cringle Drive

Dear EditorWe live on Cringle Drive and support to have a stop sign forsafety purposes. It is very difficult for us to cross ontoRedwood Shores Parkway during traffic time. There is a bigincrease in the volume of cars since we moved here 25 yearsago. Please continue the efforts for a stop sign. We wouldreally appreciate it.

Sincerely, Cynthia and Bob Fabianski

P.S. We know many of our neighbors support a stop sign too.We will be happy to petition if that would help.Dear Ms. Mertens.November 7, 2009I read, with interest, your article in the November Pilot, "StopSign on Cringle. I have lived at my current address near the cor-ner of Cringle and Barkentine for 30 years. Until 2006 when Iretired I had to make it somehow to 101 to get to work. I almostnever went to Cringle to make the left hand turn onto RedwoodShores Parkway. It was nearly impossible to find an openingduring peak traffic times. If I ever decided to try it there, hopingfor a miracle, I almost always just turned right and made a U-turn at Marlin Drive. Less hassle and safer. Most of the time,I made the left hand turn from Bridge Parkway onto RedwoodShores Parkway, because it has a 4-way stop. Even with that, Ihad to be very aggressive and make sure I made a move theinstant it was my turn (not always easy to discern when every-one hits the stop at nearly the same time). I always had a feelingthat regulars at that corner came to recognize my orange VWBeetle and gave me the benefit of the doubt. I made that turngoing to work for several decades and it kept getting harder tofind that opening.I have since retired and can choose the time that I leave in themorning. I do go walking and biking and find that few cars everstop at Cringle & RWS Parkway when the sign blinks. It is agamble for pedestrians. I just stay back until all cars havepassed and it is safe without the sign. I have talked to otherpedestrians and many have the same concerns.Most RWS citizens never have to turn left onto RWS Parkway,so the majority do not want to have a stop sign placed atCringle. Citizens to the South of the Parkway aredefinitely a minority.I am for a 4-way stop sign at Cringle and RWS Parkway. Notonly would it make it safer for pedestrians, but it would makeit safer for autos. More people could make the left turn atCringle, freeing up traffic at Bridge Parkway. Also the pauserequired at Cringle would break up the bottleneck at Bridgeparkway and allow a smoother flow of traffic.

Sincerely, Phil Mc Gowan, Redwood Shores Resident

Dear EditorOkay, now that we've had a fatality and another injury involv-ing traffic are we ready to seriously address this problem? Yes,we need a stop sign on Kringle at Redwood Shores Pkwy.Drivers are NOT getting it. What is so important that it is worthkilling someone? Talking on cell phones, rolling through stopsigns, excessive speed, I have witnessed all of this on a regularbasis. People are getting ruder and ruder and there seems to beno end. I called our mayor a couple months back to report asemi who had two trailers and rolled through the stop sign onSandpiper and Marine Pkwy and then proceeded to speed upthe road towards the freeway. I needed to go 45 mph to catchup with him to get the appropriate info from his truck. I emailedthe mayor with my concern of construction traffic adding tothis already dangerous situation and she immediately respond-ed by contacting the RCPD. I got email from her, the chief andthe officer who investigated the situation. The driver was repri-manded and the whole construction group was "warned". Greatresponse from the city. My point is, more citizens who witnessincidents need to get involved and we need to demand someaction out here. Look at Edgewood road on the west side of theAlameda. They know how to slow people down……speedbumps. Is that what it's going to take? I'm tired of the rudebehavior by drivers and I think it's high time we really look fora fix.

Submitted by Kathleen Shecter.

RSCA N

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Y

OUR

V

OICE

Thanks so much for the feedback as shown in your letters,which RSCA will bring to the attention of Redwood Cityofficials in the hope that a stop sign will be installed at thecorner of Cringle and Redwood Shores Parkway.It is important that residents continue to express theiropinions when there are issues such as this.

By Carol Mertens, Editor

Dear Editor,I would like to voice my support for a stop sign at Cringle andRedwood Shores Parkway. I can tell you first hand that whenI ride bikes with my children, that the intersection is not safe.Cars can be traveling quite fast and even with the pedestriancrossing lights on they don’t always slow down. Also I seechildren trying to cross while riding to school in the morning.It makes me nervous because it seems like an accident is wait-ing to happen. I hope if enough people voice their supportthat something will be done about this.

Submitted by Deborah Parker, RWS resident and parent